Misfortune
by Alexx18
Summary: Qrow's fear of his own semblance is justified when his effort to save Ruby from Tyrian causes her to be critically injured. [This has basically become a Volume 4/5 re-write.]
1. Little Rose

RWBY was created by Rooster Teeth and I have no affiliation with RWBY or its creators whatsoever. Please R&R - let me know if you'd like me to keep going :)

* * *

Qrow flew faster than he had in his entire life.

 _Come on. Just a little bit further._

Tyrian was annihilating Team RNJR in battle. Her friends scattered and injured, Ruby was the last one standing. Tyrian's speed and wild technique easily outmatched an exhausted Ruby. With three powerful blows he sent her flying; her scythe was no longer in her grasp.

 _Please._

Qrow pushed himself to move faster, though he knew it was impossible. How he wished he had Ruby's semblance right about now.

Tyrian was not finished with Ruby yet. He sped to the spot where he sent Ruby flying, ready to land a crushing blow to Ruby's abdomen.

 _No!_

Qrow could practically feel Ruby's aura shatter. He returned to his human form and felt his feet slam into the ground as he willed them to move as fast as possible. He reached for his weapon, knowing he would need it.

Tyrian giggled maniacally as he inched closer to Ruby, who was far too weak to defend herself any longer. His tail began to coil behind him, and Ruby's friends watched in horror as Tyrian prepared to deliver his final blow.

Ruby looked up at Tyrian, terrified. Was this really it? Was it all about to end with this one crazy guy? She didn't even know who he was or where he came from, and he was about to kill her. Ruby wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn't. Instead, wide-eyed, she looked up at her soon-to-be killer, who was seconds away from ending it all.

 _I WON'T LOSE YOU TOO!_

 **CLANG!**

Ruby flinched, then winced in pain from the sudden movement she'd just made. For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating, but after blinking a couple times she realized her Uncle Qrow stood before her.

Qrow was breathing heavily, but his body held still as he used every ounce of his strength to become a wall between Ruby and this psycho. His eyes were closed, but he could feel Ruby's presence in front of him. He could hear her breathing. She was alive. After he'd convinced himself of that fact, he opened his eyes and looked down at the battered and bruised girl in front of him.

Ruby looked up gratefully, almost tearfully at her Uncle Qrow. He held his large blade behind him, blocking Tyrian's tail from striking Ruby. Ruby was so happy to see him - he stood tall, strong, and calm as he protected her.

But he wasn't calm. White hot anger was boiling inside of Qrow as he looked at the harm Tyrian had inflicted upon Ruby. It was all he could do to keep himself from exploding into an uncontrolled rampage. Ruby's wide eyes, which were filled with pain and worry, continued to stare at Qrow.

"Hey," he finally muttered, and Ruby smiled. That was all he needed.

Qrow turned to face Tyrian, who was clearly excited about his new challenger.

The battle was fast, intense, and unforgiving. Qrow quickly adjusted to Tyrian's spastic technique, but keeping up with his tail - which was essentially an extra limb - was no easy feat. Ruby's friends attempted to help, but Qrow urged them not to come closer. He couldn't risk it. He could handle this guy.

Qrow and Tyrian's ferocious battle destroyed anything and everything in their path. As it went on, neither one of them seemed to have the upper hand. Ruby watched in panic as she realized that this fight could go either way. After sniping from the roof proved unsuccessful, Ruby returned to the ground as Qrow and Tyrian both crashed through the roof of an abandoned building.

Qrow's damaged aura glinted in Ruby's silver eyes as he stood atop his blade, waiting for his attacker. Tyrian launched himself from the destroyed building at Qrow, but collided with Ruby instead.

Right then, Qrow felt it. The familiar sense of dread. The impending doom. The floor falling from beneath him.

Ignoring Tyrian's taunts, Ruby had thrown herself back into the battle. Qrow raced after her as panic began to consume him. He reached Ruby just in time, as Tyrian's tail was just about to strike her again. Qrow's heart was racing.

"RUBY! WHAT DID I SAY? GET BACK!"

Qrow's words stung Ruby. Did he think she couldn't handle this? He'd always taught her to fight her own battles, to stand her ground. She would do just that.

"This is MY fight too!" shouted Ruby, launching herself at Tyrian once again.

Qrow could barely breathe. It was coming, any second. He was barely managing to keep himself steady as he held Tyrian's blades at bay.

"No!" he shouted, "It's not that, it's - "

Qrow suddenly felt cold all over, as if someone had just dropped him in an icy lake. He knew it was too late.

Ruby rounded behind Tyrian and attacked, but he still bested her. He kicked her and sent her careening toward the building he and Qrow had destroyed. Then it happened. Ruby slowly stood up, not noticing a huge chunk of the roof falling fast toward her. Qrow's stomach dropped and he dove as quickly as he could to save her.

Qrow sliced the debris just in time, and Ruby looked up at her uncle once again in awe. Qrow was just regaining his balance from his dive when he realized, all too late,

 _That wasn't it._

"Augh!"

"Ruby!" shouted Jaune.

Qrow whipped his head around to see Ruby dropping to her knees in pain. Tyrian stood behind her, his tail piercing the back of her shoulder. He giggled uncontrollably as he caught Ruby before she hit the ground.

"You'll be coming with me now, little Rose."

 _Little Rose._

Qrow lost it. He flew at Tyrian with all his might, his blade ready. Tyrian only giggled some more and held up Ruby's unconscious form as a human shield, but this didn't phase Qrow. With a sudden burst of speed, Qrow thrust his blade at Tyrian's foot. He did not miss.

Tyrian's scream echoed throughout the deserted village, but Qrow did not stop to listen. With Tyrian now pinned to the ground, Qrow flew forward and planted his foot directly on Tyrian's face. As Qrow's force knocked Tyrian backwards, he was forced to let go of Ruby. She'd barely started to fall before Qrow caught her. He sped toward Ruby's friends and held her out to Jaune's awaiting arms, then sped back to Tyrian, who was desperately trying to remove Qrow's weapon from his foot.

Qrow viciously smashed Tyrian's already bloodied face with his fist. Once. Twice. A third time. Jaune, Ren, and Nora watched as Tyrian's aura flickered and then disappeared soon after.

Qrow ripped his sword out of Tyrian's foot, then swiftly kicked him right where Tyrian had kicked Ruby just minutes ago. Qrow kicked him again and again.

"HOW. DARE. YOU. TOUCH. HER." Qrow shouted with every blow. Ruby's friends began calling out to Qrow. He was going too far. It was over. But Qrow wasn't listening. It didn't seem like he had any intention of stopping until -

"Qrow! Ruby needs you!" Jaune shouted, and Qrow froze. He turned to look at Jaune, who was still holding onto Ruby. She looked so still and fragile, she looked like a porcelain doll.

The deserted village that was so recently filled with the noise of battle was suddenly dead silent again. Qrow looked at Ruby with tears in his eyes, then turned to Tyrian's crippled figure below him. He raised his blade high, then plunged it into Tyrian's chest. Qrow roughly ripped the blade back out, looked at Tyrian with pure disgust written all over his face, then ran back to Ruby.

 _Please don't leave me._

* * *

When I originally wrote this, I was just planning on it being a one shot, but I do have some ideas about how I could take this story further. So, if you'd like me to keep going with some more chapters, let me know! Thanks for reading!


	2. Namesake

Ruby was bleeding profusely from the wound Tyrian had inflicted. Qrow carefully took her limp form from Jaune and placed her on the ground.

"Ruby, can you hear me?" asked Qrow desperately, his voice cracking.

Ruby didn't respond. She was breathing, but there was no telling which breath would be her last.

"Why is it this bad? Why won't she at least open her eyes?" asked Jaune sadly.

Qrow began digging in his bag, desperate to find any medical supply he could possibly have. "His tail - it was poisoned," grunted Qrow, still digging.

"Poison? What kind of poison was it?" Jaune asked anxiously. He looked at Nora, who was staring at Ruby in shock.

Qrow couldn't even hear Jaune anymore. All he could hear was the shaky, unsteady breaths coming from Ruby as he shuffled through his bag - which by now he knew had absolutely nothing helpful inside. His search was interrupted by Ren.

"Here." Ren held out a roll of bandages to Qrow, who immediately grasped it. He quickly began wrapping the bandage around Ruby's shoulder to staunch the bleeding.

"I also have this medicine. It's meant for less dangerous diseases and poisons - simple things you can catch within the forest. I imagine Tyrian's poison is far deadlier than anything this antidote can cure, but if nothing else, this could prolong...this could possibly keep the poison at bay until we can find help."

Qrow nodded, unable to speak. He took the antidote from Ren as soon as he was done bandaging Ruby's wound. He carefully tipped the bottle into Ruby's mouth and ensured that she swallowed some of the medicine.

"What do we do now?" whispered Nora.

"We move," Qrow grunted. He stood up with Ruby in his arms and said, "we're nowhere near civilization. There's no telling how long Ren's antidote will work, if at all. We've already wasted too much time." Qrow headed straight out of the village, and the others rushed to follow him.

Qrow moved at a fast pace for a long while. Jaune, Ren, and Nora struggled to keep up. They lagged far behind Qrow; they could barely see him ahead as they followed. However, after several hours, Qrow began to slow down. His legs wouldn't pull him any faster. His arms were becoming tired from carrying someone for so long. His body ached all over since he'd never allowed himself to recover from his battle with Tyrian.

After Qrow's body forced him to slow down, Ruby's team was able to slowly catch up to him.

"Qrow," said Jaune as he tried to steady his breathing, "do you...think...we should...rest?"

"ARE YOU INSANE?" shouted Qrow.

"N-no, I-"

Qrow stopped moving altogether and rounded on Jaune.

"RUBY IS DYING. I CAN'T POSSIBLY KNOW HOW MUCH TIME SHE HAS LEFT, AND I CAN DO NOTHING-NOTHING BUT GET HER TO SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP!"

Jaune looked both terrified and disappointed in himself. He didn't respond, just looked at the ground.

"So that's what I'm going to do," spat Qrow. He turned away from Jaune to continue his trek...but he couldn't. His legs seemed to freeze, and he felt himself falling forward. He lost his grip on Ruby, and she tumbled out of his arms.

"No!" gasped Qrow helplessly.

In a flash of orange hair, Nora appeared in front of him. She caught Ruby gracefully in her arms, then looked up at Qrow with sadness in her eyes. Realizing he hadn't fallen, Qrow looked around to see that Jaune and Ren had grabbed him on his left and right side. They were holding him up.

"We all care for Ruby very much. We'll do everything we can to save her," said Nora as she looked up at Qrow pleadingly, "But we can't do anything for her like this. If there were Grimm here right now, could you protect her? Could any of us?"

Qrow sighed deeply and looked at the ground.

"We _will_ save Ruby, but only if we're smart," Nora said quietly.

"Just a few hours, Qrow. Then we'll be back on our way," said Jaune.

Qrow looked at Ruby, who was still lying motionless in Nora's arms. He looked into her silver eyes -

 _Her eyes?_

"RUBY!"

Qrow pulled himself away from Ren and Jaune, forgetting that his legs weren't really working at the moment. He dropped to his knees, but somehow forced himself to shakily get back on his feet.

"Un...Uncle Q-Qrow?" muttered Ruby. She was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Let's move to a safer location," said Ren. He led the way off the forest path until they found an acceptable spot to set up camp.

Qrow did not leave Nora's side as they followed Ren and Jaune. His eyes kept darting to Ruby, who seemed to be groggily trying to figure out where she was. Once Ren and Jaune picked a spot, Nora gently handed Ruby to Qrow while she pulled out Ruby's sleeping bag.

Ruby's eyes stopped looking around their chosen campsite and looked up at Qrow instead. His heart shattered. She was in so much pain, he could tell.

"I'm so sorry, Ruby," muttered Qrow, his voice shaking.

To his surprise, Ruby smiled. "For what, dropping me?" She said weakly. She opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by a painful coughing fit. She winced and cringed with every cough, but still spoke when it was over. "As long as you rest like Nora said, I'll forgive you," Ruby croaked.

Qrow's eyes filled with tears for the second time that day as he looked at Ruby. "We have to get you help, Ruby," he said softly.

"I can make it a few extra hours, I p-promise -" Ruby was interrupted by another coughing fit. When it ended, she was breathing heavily. "Please...Uncle Qrow...I-I want you to rest," said Ruby as defiantly as she could.

Qrow sighed deeply and walked Ruby toward her sleeping bag. "Alright," he said, "but only for a bit."

Ruby's eyes were beginning to close again, but she smiled all the same.

Qrow slept for maybe an hour. Each time he dozed off, his mind was quickly flooded with nightmares which caused him to abruptly wake up and make sure Ruby was still breathing. After a while, he gave up. Qrow simply sat against a tree and waited for the next few hours to pass.

"So where did you come from?" asked Jaune suddenly, causing Qrow to jump.

"Didn't know you were awake," mumbled Qrow.

"I don't really sleep much anymore," said Jaune.

Qrow grunted in response.

There was silence for a moment, but then Jaune spoke again. "Where did you come from? How did you know we needed help? Did you know that guy was going after Ruby?"

Qrow looked up and realized not only Jaune, but also Ren and Nora were looking to him for answers as well. Qrow sighed and said, "I'll tell you, but only if we get going immediately after."

The three of them nodded, and Qrow told them everything. The four maidens. The god of darkness, the god of light. His semblance. His godforsaken semblance.

"And now," said Qrow after he'd finished fielding their questions, "we should really go. We're still a long way off." He looked nervously at Ruby, who was holding a hand to her wound. It was clearly becoming more painful.

Jaune's mind was still reeling, but one look at Ruby set him straight. It was time to go. Nora rushed toward Ruby to help her out of her sleeping bag, but gasped the moment she touched Ruby's arm.

"What? What is it?" demanded Qrow.

"She's burning up," said Nora, her voice shaking.

Qrow knelt down next to Ruby and pressed his hand to her cheek. Nora was not exaggerating. Qrow had been around for many of Ruby's childhood illnesses, and fevers often accompanied them. This was no normal fever. Her face wasn't just warm, it was hot, and a cold sweat was appearing on her forehead.

"Ruby?" Qrow whispered, terrified.

Ruby's eyelids flickered slightly, but she did not answer.

Qrow stood up abruptly. "We have to go _now."_

Jaune and Nora quickly cleaned everything up and prepared to set out. Ren, however, was looking intently at Ruby. Once everything was packed up, Nora looked curiously at Ren.

"Ren?" she called out to him.

Ren watched as Qrow carefully lifted Ruby off the ground, then said, "We'll never make it in time."

"Ren! Don't say that, we can do this!" shouted Nora.

"We have to be sensible about this, Nora. Ruby will not make it to the end of this journey," said Ren.

"Ren -" started Jaune, but Qrow cut him off.

"Listen kid, no one's making you go. You wanna stay here and sleep? Be my guest, but if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut about Ruby!" Qrow turned away from Ren and began to march away.

Ren shook his head and said, "I said she will not make it to the end of this journey. She will not make it to Mistral in her current state with us carrying her on foot. However, you have an ability that can save her, Qrow."

Qrow looked at Ren incredulously. What was this kid talking about?"

"Qrow…" muttered Jaune, looking at the ground. Suddenly, his head shot up as he realized what Ren was referring to.

" _Qrow_! You can fly!" Jaune shouted.

Ren was nodding and Nora was jumping for joy, but Qrow scoffed. "Yeah, I don't know if you realize this, but crows aren't quite strong enough to carry humans."

"That's not what he means. You can fly to Mistral and get help. They can come to us! We can keep heading toward Mistral, and once you find help they can meet us halfway," said Jaune.

"If you think I'm leaving Ruby with you -"

"But she's been with us all along!" protested Nora.

"She hadn't even been hurt until-"

Jaune paused awkwardly as he remembered what he had so recently learned about Qrow's semblance.

 _...until I came along._

Qrow sighed and looked up at the sky. He knew they were right. He just couldn't bear to leave her like this. Especially since it was his fault.

"We will protect her," said Ren.

Qrow turned to look at Ren, who stood next to Nora. She nodded confidently at Qrow.

"We won't stop moving until she's gotten the help she needs," promised Jaune.

Qrow looked down at Ruby. Her brows were furrowed. Her breaths were uneven. Her cheeks were becoming red due to her fever. She didn't have much time left.

Qrow placed Ruby on the stretcher the four of them had just created out of assorted supplies and items they found in the forest. His heart was beating fast as he anticipated leaving Ruby in this state. He felt ashamed of himself, but he knew this was the only way to save her.

"Shouldn't take me too long to get there and find help. You three keep moving toward Mistral, and do not leave the path. That's where it'll be easiest for an airship to find you."

Jaune, Ren, and Nora nodded. Qrow closed his eyes for a moment, contemplating what he was about to do. He opened them again and looked at Ruby.

 _Please hang on, Little Rose._

Qrow took off in a burst of black feathers. Jaune and Ren each lifted a side of Ruby's stretcher and began to walk with Nora in tow.


	3. Dread

Jaune, Ren, and Nora moved as quickly as they could through the forest, each of them casting frequent nervous glances at Ruby. Her condition was quickly worsening. Her fever would not break, and she'd begun coughing more often.

After a few hours of walking, Team RNJR approached a fork in the road. An old sign standing in front of them told them that Mistral was to the right.

"Alright! That means we've got to be close!" exclaimed Nora.

Jaune and Ren gently placed Ruby's stretcher on the ground. Ren walked toward Nora and looked down the path to Mistral. "Perhaps...but it looks like this path takes us through the mountains," said Ren quietly.

Jaune knelt down to check on Ruby. Her bandages were completely soaked through with purple fluid, and each breath she took was slow and wheezing.

"I don't know how we could get her through the mountains," said Jaune worriedly. He ran to Nora's side and looked up at the sign. "Could we go around? Through this Kuroyuri place? Maybe find help there?"

Ren clenched his fists, but tried to stay calm. "That village was destroyed years ago. There's nothing left."

Jaune looked down at the ground, then back at Ruby.

"I think it's worth a shot. Besides, there's no way we can go through those mountains -"

"It will take too long!" said Ren, cutting Jaune off.

"Qrow might find us with help before we even get to the town. It makes more sense than struggling to get Ruby through those mountains. She won't make it!" shouted Jaune, standing his ground.

"Didn't Qrow say to stay on the path? He's expecting us to move toward Mistral - he's not going to be looking _there_ ," spat Ren, pointing at the sign leading to Kuroyuri.

"Qrow's not an idiot, he'll know we can't get Ruby through the mountains. Besides, an airship would still see us! He just meant he didn't want us roaming through the forest! Hell, we could be halfway to Mistral by now if you weren't still arguing with me!"

"You know as well as I do that we are nowhere near Mistral, and I-"

"Ren."

Ren turned to face Nora, who had placed her hand on his arm. "I think we have to do this," she said quietly.

"Nora, I-"

"We have to do this for Ruby. It's the only way," said Nora sadly.

Ren looked at the ground, dread consuming him.

"Ren, Nora...what is this all about?" asked Jaune.

Nora opened her mouth to answer, but Ren cut her off. "It's nothing," he said, then looked at Nora again. She smiled sadly at him and said, "We'll be okay. We have each other, and that's all that matters."

Ren took a deep breath, nodded, and began to walk toward Ruby's stretcher. "Let's go, Jaune."

* * *

Qrow was once again flying as fast as he could to save Ruby. He only hoped that this time he would actually succeed. The image of Ruby pained and feverish was stuck in the back of his mind, and he yearned to see her full of energy and happiness again.

As Qrow flew over one last hill, he finally found himself within the borders of Mistral. He immediately fell into a steep dive toward the ground and landed on his two feet, having transformed back to his human form. He sprinted toward the kingdom's hospital, and he was only a few feet away from the doors when he collided with someone.

"Excuse you! Watch where you're... _you!_ "

Qrow was suddenly face to face with one of the very last people he felt like dealing with at the moment. She wasn't wearing her usual Atlas military garb. She'd clearly dressed to blend in with the people of Mistral, as she was wearing darker, earthy tones. She wore a simple button down shirt with the sleeves rolled, which was the most casual Qrow had ever seen her. Her glinting sword was still attached to her hip, though. And the tight bun at the back of her head looked as regal as ever. It was Winter Schnee.

"Listen, Ice Queen, I really don't have time for this right now -"

"Oh, _I'm_ sorry. Remind me not to get in your way next time _you're_ not paying attention to what you're doing!" snarled Winter. Her eyes narrowed as she took in Qrow's appearance. He was clearly exhausted and had just recently been in some sort of fight. He didn't look like he'd slept in days.

"What's happened to you?" asked Winter, her tone still laced with just a bit of hostility.

"None of your damn business! Now step aside, I need to get help!" Qrow moved to shove Winter out of his way, but she snatched his wrist and held him where he stood.

"For you or someone else?" Winter asked him.

Making no effort to separate himself from Winter, Qrow shouted directly in her face, "FOR RUBY YOU POMPOUS BITCH! NOW ARE YOU GOING TO LET ME GO OR SHOULD I SEPARATE YOUR HAND FROM THE REST OF YOU?"

Winter's eyes widened and she let go of Qrow. While she and Qrow had never gotten along, it was typically she who flew off the handle first. Something horrible must have happened.

"Where is she?" asked Winter, but Qrow ignored her. He was walking toward the hospital doors, hand outstretched to open them.

"Qrow, they won't be able to help you! Their airships are out on patrols all day. They won't return for hours!"

Qrow stopped in his tracks. She had to be lying. She was just trying to get under his skin. But...she wasn't _that_ evil. And he knew Winter was only in Mistral to send information back to Ironwood. She'd been there for months. Of course she'd know the ins and outs of the kingdom - it was her job. Qrow's stomach dropped as he realized what this meant.

"I have a ship," said Winter. Qrow snapped his head to face Winter again.

"Are you saying you'll help me?" asked Qrow.

"I'm saying I'll help Ruby. Besides, last I checked we're still on the same side," said Winter, head held high as always.

The corner of Qrow's mouth just barely twitched. "Let's go," he said, and he followed Winter has she ran toward the edge of the kingdom.

* * *

Team RNJR had entered Kuroyuri, and no one said a word. Nora held onto Ren's arm as he carried the back of Ruby's stretcher, and though it was comforting, Ren was still clearly having a hard time being there. The day he lost his family, the day he lost everything, would forever be ingrained in the back of his mind, but this was different. This was so much worse. He'd never dreamed he'd have to walk through this place again.

Suddenly, a steady rumbling sound interrupted the silence.

"W-what is that?" asked Jaune nervously.

Ren closed his eyes. He knew exactly what it was. It was only fitting that he would have to relive every bit of the horror that came from that day. As the sound came closer, it was clear that something large and four-legged was headed their way.

"We have to move faster!" shouted Jaune.

"We won't outrun it," said Ren, his voice flat and hopeless.

"Outrun wha-"

Jaune's question was interrupted by a large figure crashing through what was left of a building near them. Jaune, Nora, and Ren were thrown backwards by the force, causing Ruby to fly out of her stretcher and tumble onto the ground next to them.

"Ruby!" Jaune dove to grab Ruby, not even taking a moment to look at the enormous Grimm now standing over them.

Ren and Nora watched as the demonic figure loomed closer. As the horse took steps towards them, its attached rider was twitching as if it was possessed. Its arms dragged behind, but they slowly began to coil, and Ren and Nora knew what would come next. The Nuckelavee let out its loud, wheezing scream, and Jaune was forced to look up at the creature.

"Oh no," he whispered.


	4. Pain

Qrow was looking out from inside Winter's ship as they flew outside Mistal. He was scanning the ground beneath them with narrowed eyes.

"Are you sure I'm headed in the right direction?" called Winter from the cockpit.

Qrow answered her without looking away from the window. "Yeah. They wouldn't have been able to get Ruby through the mountains." He felt a pang in his stomach when he said her name out loud.

 _We have to get to her in time._

Their search carried on in complete silence, but Qrow had to break it to stop his thoughts from further tormenting him.

"So why are all of Mistral's airships on patrols all day? Isn't that sort of a security risk?" asked Qrow as he all but pressed his face to the glass.

"They don't leave the kingdom unattended. There are plenty of huntsmen and huntresses on their guard. The ships are not only watching for incoming Grimm, but also for any attempted communication from other kingdoms. You of all people can understand that being miles high is a better vantage point than any other," said Winter.

Qrow grunted in agreement and continued to look anxiously out the window for any sign of Ruby and her friends.

* * *

Jaune was frozen as he looked up at the terrifying creature before him. He tried to formulate some kind of plan, but nothing was coming to him. How on earth were they going to get out of this?

Suddenly, the Nuckelavee raised one of its long, extendable arms and brought it back down toward Jaune with incredible speed. Jaune quickly dove over Ruby, shut his eyes, and waited for the impact, but nothing happened. He slowly turned his head around and saw what saved him.

Ren was standing in front of Jaune and Ruby, his blades held in an "x" to block the Nuckelavee's attack. His whole body shook behind the strength of the creature, and Jaune watched in horror as Ren was forced down to one knee.

"HEEEEEYAAAAAAAAH!"

Nora flew into action, and she was seconds away from smashing her hammer into the Nuckelavee's arm when the creature's other arm swung around and pummeled her. Nora painfully toppled onto the ground just a few feet from where Jaune was still frozen. Her aura flickered, and she didn't get back up.

"NORA!" shouted Jaune.

Ren roared in anger and broke the deadlock between himself and the Nuckelavee by swiping his blades in either direction. The Grimm screeched in anger as Ren charged forward.

Jaune watched as Ren let his anger overtake him. He charged at the Nuckelavee once, twice, three times but was thrown back each time. His aura level was quickly draining, and Jaune could tell the Grimm was just toying with Ren at this point. He wouldn't last much longer. Jaune knew he had to help, but he couldn't bear to leave Ruby unprotected.

"Get her somewhere safe."

Jaune turned around in shock to see Nora limping towards him. Her face was set with determination, and she had her weapon at the ready.

"N-Nora-"

Nora didn't stop to listen to Jaune. She was already half limping, half running towards Ren as fast as she could - and the Nuckelavee saw her coming. The horrid creature sent Ren and Nora flying back to where Jaune stood before Ruby.

Ren struggled to get himself back up and began to charge ahead again, but something stopped him. Nora had grabbed his hand.

"Nora, let go!" shouted Ren.

"No, I can't let you do this!" Nora shouted back.

The Nuckelavee was charging at them.

"NORA, IF YOU DON'T LET GO YOU'LL GET KILLED!"

"IF I LET YOU GO, YOU'LL KILL YOURSELF!"

The Nuckelavee was upon them, both arms stretching toward them with blinding speed. Jaune launched himself forward, his sword suddenly boasting a wider, heavier blade. He evaded the creature's arms and thrust his sword into one of the horse's legs. The enormous Grimm let out a roar that was louder than ever as the horse's leg buckled. The Nuckelavee was momentarily stalled as the horse tried to regain its balance, but its arms were still functioning just fine. They both changed course and headed toward Jaune instead.

Ren had turned to face Nora, who was looking tearfully back at him.

"I won't let you. Not after everything we've been through," she said.

The horse was still trying to stand as its rider's arms chased after Jaune. He jumped, flipped, and ran to avoid the creature's wrath.

"I won't let it end like this."

Ren looked down at his father's blade, and Nora placed a hand over Ren's.

The Nuckelavee had finally regained its balance. The horse stood steady on all four legs, which enabled the rider to properly aim for Jaune. Within seconds, Jaune was forced into the wall of a distressed building by both of the Nuckelavee's arms. He cried out in pain.

"We can do this."

" _Jaune!_ "

Ruby's eyes flew open. It was Pyrrha's voice again. It had been haunting her dreams for most of the trip. She sighed as she remembered it wasn't real. Pyrrha was gone.

The Nuckelavee let out another horrid scream as Ren and Nora attacked.

 _Okay, that sound was new._

Ruby rolled to her side and gasped in pain. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire, and the rest of her body felt as if someone had dropped a building on her. It was hard to breathe. Her throat felt like she'd swallowed glass. Memories of the last two days came flooding back, and Ruby painfully lifted her head up to see her friends fighting for their lives.

It was clear that they had all been fighting for a while. Each of them were heavily wounded. Their movements were growing ever slower and sloppier. Ruby winced has she watched Jaune get kicked viciously by the horse he had so recently wounded. She slowly forced herself to sit up, feeling pain in every inch of her body.

 _I have to help them._

Ruby looked around, which was just as painful as sitting up, and she saw her weapon lying just a few feet away from her. She reached out to her beloved Crescent Rose, fighting the excruciating pain it caused her. It was becoming even more difficult to breathe, and her vision was becoming very unsteady. The world around her was spinning as she tried with all her might to grasp her weapon.

Jaune forced himself to stand up once again, but he could feel himself fading. Barely holding himself steady, he watched as Ren and Nora continued to fight the monster in front of them. They had re-entered the battle with a new determination, but it had started to fade. Ren moved quickly and struck stealthily, while Nora delivered heavy hit after heavy hit, but nothing seemed to work. The creature's arms wove all around them and struck them down again and again.

Something clicked.

"Guys! I have an idea!"

Ruby had fallen unconscious again, but Jaune's exclamation awoke her. Her face was pressed against the cool cobblestone, and it sort of felt nice. Ruby felt a tear run down her cheek. She had realized she wasn't going to make it through this. She wouldn't get to Mistral, wouldn't be able to make a difference. She wouldn't be able to help her friends.

 _My friends._

Weiss. Blake. Her sister. She wouldn't ever seem them again. More tears began to fall. Every shuttering breath was painful, but Ruby didn't care. It was all over. She closed her eyes, but only for a moment. A shout made her open them once again. Slowly, painfully, her cheek still pressed to the cobblestone, she turned her head to face the battle.

Jaune's upgraded sword was plunged into one of the Nuckelavee's arms, pinning it to the ground. Ren was zipping back and forth with all the speed he could muster as the Nuckelavee's only free arm chased him. Just as Ren seemed within the creature's grasp, Nora jumped down from the top of a building and pinned its arm down with her hammer. The scream that erupted from the Grimm hurt Ruby's ears.

Once the Nuckelavee's arms were pinned, Ren flung himself forward with all the force he had left. The horse was too fast for Ren, who was not only injured and fatigued, but was also not expecting what came next. In the blink of an eye, the horse had raised its front legs and forced them on top of Ren.

Ren's screams hurt Ruby more than the Nuckelavee's ever could.

Nora and Jaune knew that if they moved, the creature would definitely use its arms to kill Ren. But if they didn't move -

Ren screamed at the top of his lungs as the horse's legs crushed him.

Jaune panicked as he looked all around for something, anything that could help them. Nora was sobbing as she reached out to her best friend as if she could pull him toward her. Ruby's eyes were wide, her heart was beating fast, and tilting her head up, she saw that her hand was holding onto her scythe.

* * *

"There's something moving out there." Qrow said suddenly.

"What? Where?"

Qrow quickly entered the cockpit and said, "Veer left. Now!"

Winter did as she was instructed and quickly saw what Qrow was referring to. She'd heard stories of the creature, but she'd never seen one in person. As the ship got closer, Winter realized there were people near the Nuckelavee and stood up to get a better look. She gasped.

"Qrow!"

"Let me out!" he shouted desperately.

Winter turned to her controls and quickly opened one of the emergency exit doors. She swung the ship around so Qrow had a clear path toward the battle. Grasping the top of the door frame, Qrow swung out of the doorway. Instead of letting go, he swung his legs over himself and placed his feet on the outside of the ship. Quickly orienting himself and taking aim, he propelled himself off the ship and darted toward the battle.

Qrow's eyes watered as he shot through the chilly air. He began to reach for his blade as he grew closer to the Grimm, but something made him falter.

Not only did she hear it, but she felt it. Ruby saw Ren's aura fade, and then she felt it. She felt Ren's ribs break. She not only heard, but felt Nora's scream. She heard and felt Jaune's cry for help. She felt herself stand, though she didn't know how she was doing it. She heard her friends call her name. She saw the creature look at its new prey.

 _No. Ruby, no. NO!_

Qrow knew he wouldn't get there in time. He was maybe 100 yards away when he saw the silver light emanate from Ruby's eyes.

"RUBY NO!" shouted Qrow. He landed on top of a building just in time to see Ruby launch herself forward with the recoil from her weapon, and then the light was too much. Qrow couldn't see a thing.


	5. Déjà Vu

I didn't want you to have to wait too long for another chapter after all that chaos, so here's another! Thanks so much for all the feedback so far, and keep it coming! Let me know how you're liking this :)

* * *

There were voices everywhere, but nothing to be seen. Nothing to be felt. Just sounds.

"Ruby! Ruby, please. _Please."_

"Qrow! We need to get her to Mistral!"

"Is she-?"

"SHE'S NOT BREATHING!"

 _I'm not?_

There was a loud, rasping sound. And then there was feeling again.

 _Ow. Breathing sucks._

"Now, Qrow. We have to go or we won't save her in time."

Qrow scooped Ruby up and nearly dropped her due to the pained scream that escaped her.

"I'm so sorry. I know it hurts. Just hang on, Little Rose. Please. Please hang on for me."

 _Little Rose?_

There was another feeling. A drop of liquid on her cheek. A tear? But it wasn't hers.

 _Uncle Qrow?_

* * *

"She's going to make it, sir. I promise."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

" _IF I LET GO, YOU'LL KILL YOURSELF!"_

" _I won't let it end like this."_

"How's the boy?"

"Shaken, but fine. He's healing. He's just...he's having a rough time with all of this I think."

" _Jaune!"_

" _Guys! I have an idea!"_

"I just want her to wake up."

"She will."

" _Just hang on, Little Rose."_

"Just hang on, Little Rose."

Ruby's eyes shot open. White. She blinked. Still white.

"Wha...I c-can't-"

"Ruby?!"

Ruby turned her head toward the sound of her name and saw her Uncle Qrow. Glancing back, she realized she'd been looking at a white ceiling. She breathed a sigh of relief and winced due to the pain it caused.

"Ruby, can you hear me?"

Qrow had rushed to Ruby's side and watched as she came to. He was struggling to stay calm, but he knew he had to try for Ruby.

"Y-yeah," croaked Ruby.

For the first time since Ruby opened her eyes, Qrow allowed himself to breathe. He rested his forehead on the edge of her bed as he took a few deep breaths. Ruby watched him as his shoulders began to shake, and she wondered if he was crying. She'd never seen him do that before. It scared her.

"Uncle Qrow, I'm okay. I promise."

 _Am I though?_

Ruby focused for a moment and tried to move. Every part of her was still very much in pain, but she did feel better than before.

 _Before._

"Uncle Qrow, what happened? Is everyone okay? Augh-"

Ruby had sat up too quickly, and the pain was horrible.

"Easy, easy," said Qrow, lifting his head and placing a hand gently on Ruby's arm.

"Uncle Qrow, you look…"

Wretched. Exhausted. Anxious. Depressed. Insane. There were probably hundreds of words that could have described just how Qrow looked at that moment, but none of them were positive. He had dark circles under his eyes, he clearly hadn't shaved in quite a while, his hair was an unkempt mess, and he looked absolutely gaunt, as if he'd seen a ghost, as if he hadn't eaten in days, as if he hadn't slept in weeks.

Qrow looked down and said, "Everyone is fine. Jaune. Nora. Ren. Yeah, he was hurt, but you saved him before any permanent damage could be done."

Qrow looked up and made eye contact with Ruby.

"Do you remember this time?"

Ruby furrowed her brows and looked away. She knew what he meant. It had happened again. This situation was all too familiar. But this time...this time it must have been worse. She closed her eyes and tried to remember.

 _They needed me._

 _I couldn't reach my scythe._

 _Ren was hurt._

 _And then...and then…_

 _There was power. A lot. And it...held me. Carried me? Suffocated me…_

"I think I remember...more. More about how it felt. But I still don't really know what I did," said Ruby sadly.

"Well you killed that thing," said Qrow, watching Ruby intently.

"How?"

Qrow gestured to a side table next to Ruby, where her Crescent Rose had been placed in its most compact form.

"So...it's not...it's not frozen or something?" asked Ruby.

"Nope. You decapitated it. And then I finished the horse," said Qrow, standing up and heading back to his chair a few feet from Ruby's bed.

Ruby watched as Qrow slowly sat down. He was definitely relieved when she'd woken up, but now...now she felt like he was upset with her.

"Uncle Qrow...did I do something wrong?"

Qrow looked up at Ruby and felt his heart seize. She was looking at him with fear in her eyes. He knew how it felt. He knew how it felt to wonder if someone was hurt because of something he did, but it was completely out of his control.

"No, Ruby. You didn't. You saved everyone, including yourself. It's just…"

Qrow sighed deeply. He'd spent the last 15 years of his life trying to find the right time to tell people things, strategically keeping certain people informed, others in the dark. He knew when the truth would hurt more than a lie, he knew when the truth could become a weapon, when it could become dangerous in the wrong hands. He was good at it. It was second nature. But with Ruby, it was always more difficult.

"Your eyes...they're...developing faster than I expected. Faster than anyone expected," said Qrow.

Ruby didn't say anything. She anxiously waited for Qrow to continue.

Qrow saw her thirst for information and rubbed his eyes. He was tired in more ways than one.

"When you were poisoned, do you remember how incapacitated you were? How you couldn't move, could barely breathe or talk?"

Ruby nodded.

"Right. And then, suddenly, when your friend was hurt, you were able to stand. And not just that! No, you were able to not only wield your scythe, but use it like you always have...and then some."

"And then some?" repeated Ruby, confused.

Qrow cracked a smile. "You've always packed a hell of a punch for a pipsqueak, but when you killed that Grimm, the punch was a little bit bigger than usual."

Ruby nodded.

"So here's the point. Your eyes enabled you to temporarily eliminate or ignore symptoms of a very powerful poison and deliver a huge hit to a creature that, on a regular day, should have been able to dodge your attack. But not only did you hit it hard, you hit it fast. I've never seen you move that fast, Ruby. Never."

Qrow's words reverberated throughout the room, and Ruby practically felt them hit her.

" _I've never seen you move that fast, Ruby. Never."_

Ruby had always been fast. When Qrow trained her at Signal, he'd always told her it was her secret weapon. He'd taught her to utilize her speed not only with her weapon, but with her semblance. Qrow was truly the only person who'd seen all of her tricks, and yet here he was saying he hadn't seen this one.

Ruby shook her head and ignored the pain it caused.

"Even if...if my eyes make me faster or whatever, how is this different? You didn't see me up at the tower with Cinder. It could've been the same way."

"But it wasn't," said Qrow flatly, "in fact, the difference is stark. The difference is the very reason we're having this conversation."

Qrow looked at Ruby, who was becoming more frustrated as the conversation went on. She just wanted to understand.

"What happened on the tower was completely out of your control. You got to the top, you saw...Cinder, and you lost it. Your emotions took over, and then your eyes did the rest." Qrow paused and looked out the window for a moment.

"This time...this time was different," he said, turning back to face Ruby, "Your eyes didn't take anything over. You used them. You let them fuel you. You had control. And I think that's why you remember more this time. The power didn't take you over, you utilized it."

"But I didn't. I don't know how to turn it on or off. It just happened!" said Ruby.

"I know that, Ruby. I didn't say you have full control. It's like I said before, your eyes are developing. And it's just happening really fast," said Qrow, putting his face in his hands.

"Why is that a bad thing?" asked Ruby.

Qrow looked up at Ruby. She looked slightly offended.

"Don't you want me to be able to control it? Maybe you wouldn't have to take me to a doctor every time it happens."

"Ruby, you were going to the doctor regardless. You were dying."

Ruby's eyes widened as she remembered how she got poisoned in the first place. Tyrian. She looked down at her shoulder and saw that it was wrapped in bandages.

"You're going to be fine, Ruby. We got you here...just in time." Qrow swallowed hard and looked out the window again. Ruby thought she saw a tear fall. She raised her hand to the spot on her cheek where she felt a tear drop before. As she was straining to remember where that thought came from, Qrow spoke again.

"Ruby, if I had the choice, I would prefer you didn't have those eyes at all. I'd rather you have any other color in the world."

"Why?" she asked incredulously.

"You are here because of those eyes. You are hurt because of those eyes. That faunus guy was sent after you because of those eyes. And this is what happened - all because of an accident. Something you did by accident. Just imagine what they'll send next if they find out you can use those eyes on purpose."

"But they can't know about this, right? It was just us," said Ruby.

"For the most part, I think it's safe to assume that. However, it's not like it was a quiet fight. I'm sure Salem has eyes everywhere. She could've had someone else tailing you. Regardless of how or when...I'm certain they'll find out eventually."

Ruby looked down at her blankets. It felt weird to know that people were after her. Everything going on in the world seemed so much bigger than the stupid color of her eyes.

"So...what do you want me to do?" asked Ruby, looking back up at Qrow.

Qrow stood up and said, "Right now, I want you to focus on getting better. I'm going to grab your doctor so he can tend to you. And while he's doing that I think I'll go shower."

"Yeah, I can tell it's been a while," said Ruby smirking.

Qrow smiled for the first time in a week and left the room. He closed the door behind him gently, then turned his back to it. Before he could stop himself, before he could even think, all of the stress, sadness, fear, and anger he'd felt over the last week and a half fell on him. It forced him to his hands and knees, and he cried. He couldn't stop, not for several minutes. Not one tear was for himself. They were for Ruby. For Summer. For Tai. For Yang. For his family that has never been whole, and will never be whole.


	6. Recovery

Ren sat up straight, staring at the wall ahead of him as a nurse examined him. Nora stood by watching the nurse anxiously.

"Well, dear, I think you're good to go. Don't be too active for a couple days just to be safe," said the nurse.

Ren didn't look away from the wall; he only nodded. The nurse placed a hand gently on his shoulder, looking at him sadly for a moment before turning away. Once the door shut behind her, Nora was at Ren's side.

"I'm so glad you're all healed up!" she said, but Ren didn't respond. He didn't even move.

Nora's eyes started to fill with tears. "Ren...why won't you tell me what's bothering you?"

Ren ignored her. He gingerly removed himself from his bed and began to collect his things.

"Ren-"

"Because you _know_ what's bothering me, Nora!" Ren shouted suddenly. He was breathing heavily and finally looking at Nora, but there was anger in his eyes.

"What, you're mad at yourself?" retorted Nora, "Because you couldn't beat it on your own? That wasn't ever going to happen, Ren! There's a _reason_ that thing terrorized everything and everyone in its path!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Nora. I didn't -"

There was a loud, sudden knocking on the door. Ren stepped forward and opened it to reveal Qrow standing in the doorway. He looked around the room suspiciously.

"Everyone alright in here?" he asked.

Nora wiped her eyes and said, "Of course! What's going on?"

Qrow narrowed his eyes slightly, but he answered anyway. "Ruby came to. She's okay. Thought you might like to go and keep her company while I run a few errands."

"Oh thank goodness! Yeah, we…I mean, I…" Nora trailed off and looked at Ren, who spoke up without looking back at her.

"We will go see her. I must thank her, after all."

* * *

"So where's Qrow?" asked Jaune.

Ruby hadn't been alone for long after Qrow left the room. Jaune had been checking in for updates on a regular basis, and that morning he had been pleasantly surprised to find Ruby sitting up in her bed attempting to eat breakfast.

"He left to shower," said Ruby before nibbling on some fruit.

Jaune nodded and jumped as he heard a knock on the door. He turned to see Qrow walking in, looking like an entirely different human being.

"Ah, of course you're already here. No wonder I couldn't find you," said Qrow.

Jaune didn't respond. He was too busy trying to take in this version of Qrow that didn't look seriously ill.

"I've got some things I need to check in on. Recent events obviously delayed some of my work, so I need to get to it," said Qrow.

"But-" started Ruby.

"I'll be back, don't worry," said Qrow, rolling his eyes.

Ruby looked at Qrow suspiciously and said, "When?"

"A couple days tops. I'll be within the kingdom's borders. Promise."

Ruby frowned, but she looked resigned. Qrow looked at her, a hint of sadness touching his eyes.

"I've got a lot of people waiting on me, kiddo. It's important."

Ruby smiled at Qrow and said, "I know. But when I'm better, I'm going with you!"

"Eh, we'll see," said Qrow as Nora suddenly burst into the room from behind him.

"RUBY!" she shouted joyously and ran to Ruby's side. Ren silently followed her. Taking advantage of the distraction, Qrow got Jaune's attention.

"Let me talk to you for a sec," said Qrow gesturing to hallway outside Ruby's room.

Jaune stood up and followed Qrow out the door a little nervously. Qrow shut the door, looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then looked at Jaune seriously.

"I don't think I need to tell you that Ruby can be a little...reckless."

"I wonder where she gets that," said Jaune sarcastically.

Qrow's mouth flattened for a moment, but he pressed on. "She needs rest, and I need you to make sure she gets it. She can't be running around looking for trouble."

Jaune nodded. He wasn't exactly Qrow's biggest fan, but he could at least agree with him on this. Qrow continued.

"And I meant it when I said I'd be within the kingdom's borders; I'm not going far. But you need to understand that no matter how close I am, no matter which kingdom she is in, Ruby is not safe."

Jaune furrowed his brow and said, "What? She's going to be fine, the nurse said-"

"I'm not talking about her injuries. I'm talking about Salem. You know about Ruby's eyes. You witnessed what happened to her because of what she did at Beacon. I don't know about you, but I'm not thinking Tyrian is the last one who'll go after her," said Qrow, his voice nearly a whisper.

Jaune's eyes widened.

"I need you to be alert. If anything happens, if anything is the least bit suspicious, I need you to contact me _immediately._ Like I said, I'll be within the borders, so you'll be able to reach me on your scroll.

Jaune swallowed hard and nodded. Qrow looked at Jaune for a moment, then turned to walk away.

"Wait!" said Jaune, and Qrow turned around.

"Why won't you tell her?" asked Jaune.

"She knows, but she needs to heal. I don't expect her to be ready for enemies when-"

"No, not that," said Jaune, shaking his head.

"Then what?" said Qrow, who was becoming frustrated. He really needed to get going.

"Why won't you tell her that you're not her uncle?"

Qrow took a step back from Jaune as if he'd hit him. "What are you talking about?" Qrow sputtered.

"Doesn't she deserve to know?" asked Jaune earnestly.

Qrow looked at Jaune angrily, then turned away again. "You're talking nonsense, kid. Do as I said. I'll be back in a few days."

Jaune watched him walk away without a word.

* * *

"Ruby, I'm so happy you're okay!" exclaimed Nora.

"Thanks, Nora. I'm happy to see that you're all okay, too. Especially you, Ren, I was so worried," said Ruby, looking up at them from where she sat in bed.

Ren bowed his head and said, "Well, it's really all because of you, Ruby. I am very grateful. I cannot thank you enough."

Ruby looked embarrassed. "Oh...I don't think I can really take any credit. I didn't really know what I was doing. Apparently my eyes just do stuff for me now."

Ren didn't say anything, and Ruby wondered if she'd said something wrong. She looked at Nora, who just shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"So you must be bored just stuck in bed! Maybe I can find some board games somewhere!" said Nora as Jaune walked back into the room discreetly.

"I think they might have some at the front desk!" said Jaune, "I can go ask-"

"Nah, we'll go! Be right back!" said Nora as she dragged Ren out of the room.

After they left, Jaune turned to look at Ruby, who was happily eating her fruit. She felt so at peace knowing everyone was okay and that they'd finally made it to Mistral.

"So where have you been sleeping?" asked Ruby.

"Oh, there's a little inn right across the street. It's just been Nora and me over there, but I guess Ren will probably get a room too now that he's been discharged," said Jaune, taking a seat next to Ruby's bed.

"Uncle Qrow hasn't been staying there, too? Let me guess, there isn't a bar?" said Ruby with a snort.

"No...it's not that. Actually I don't think he's been to a bar since we got here. He...hadn't really left your room since we got here," said Jaune.

Ruby stopped eating and focused all her attention on Jaune. "What? He slept in _here_? There's not even a couch!" she said, gesturing to the wooden chair Qrow had been sitting in when she'd woken up.

Jaune took a deep breath and said, "Honestly Ruby, I don't know if he ever really slept. He was looking pretty rough, and he'd become downright unpleasant to be around."

"But why-"

"He was worried about you. The doctors kept telling him you'd be okay but...I don't know. It was like he thought they were lying to him."

Ruby slowly took in everything Jaune told her. She looked at the wooden chair, then looked out the window sadly.

* * *

Qrow was swirling the ice around in the drink the bartender had just placed in front of him. It was late. The bar was empty; he was the last customer sitting in the same place he'd been for hours. He knew he'd have to leave soon. He began to dig in his pocket for money when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Tensing up, he turned around.

He relaxed. It was just a kid.

"I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak," said Qrow. He started to turn back around, but the kid spoke.

"Shut up, I'm getting there," he muttered.

Qrow raised an eyebrow. The kid took a deep breath and tried his best to look at Qrow with some inkling of determination.

"I'm supposed to tell you...I'd like my cane back?"


	7. Alone

Ruby sat up in bed, obviously disgruntled as a nurse examined her.

"I told you, I'm _fine_. Will you please let me go?"

"If you don't stop fidgeting, I'll keep you here for another month," said the nurse sternly as she checked on Ruby's shoulder. The wound from Tyrian had completely healed. All that was left was a tiny purple scar.

Ruby huffed as the nurse moved her arm around every which way to check the stability of Ruby's shoulder. She'd spent two and a half weeks stuck in that bed, and she was bored out of her mind. She was finally in Mistral, and she wanted nothing more than to get back to her mission. Of course, she'd have to find her Uncle Qrow first.

Qrow had done as he'd promised and returned to the hospital a couple days after Ruby had awoken, but he didn't stay long. Claiming to have more "errands" to run, Qrow only stayed with Ruby for one evening before taking off again. She hadn't seen him in over a week, and he had refused to tell her what he was doing.

" _I can't say much now. I'll tell you when it's time_."

Ruby rolled her eyes as she remembered Qrow's useless response to all of her burning questions. Had he met with Professor Lionheart? Was Haven prepared for an attack? Has Salem made any other moves? Ruby was sure Qrow had answers to all those questions and more, but he was being as secretive as ever.

"Was that so hard?" asked the nurse, pulling Ruby out of her thoughts.

"Can I go?!" exclaimed Ruby, who was now standing on top of her bed.

The nurse couldn't help but smile a little bit. "Yes. You can go. But be careful! I don't want to see you back here!"

"You got it!" Ruby jumped off the bed and bolted to the door, but she didn't get far. Jaune appeared in the doorway just in time for Ruby to violently collide with him. Lying flat on her back, Ruby looked up to see the nurse standing over her.

The nurse raised an eyebrow and said, "So, I should expect you back here in a few days?"

Jaune slowly sat up and rubbed the back of his head as Ruby giggled. "Huh? You're getting released?" he asked.

"Yeah!" said Ruby, jumping back up with excitement. Shaking her head at the two friends, the nurse stepped over Jaune and left the room. Jaune's forehead crinkled with concern.

"Is that really a good idea? Are you sure you should be up and moving?" he asked.

"Are you kidding? I feel great! Another day cooped up in here and I would've gone insane! Where are Ren and Nora? We've got to get going!"

Jaune looked up at Ruby, who was bursting with excitement. As nice as it was to see Ruby being her happy and determined self again, Jaune couldn't help but feel worried.

"Uh...where exactly are we going?" he asked as Ruby helped him up.

Ruby held up her index finger to tell Jaune just where they would be going, but she faltered as she realized something.

"...I don't know yet. But, the first step is getting out of this hospital!" Ruby announced.

* * *

Ruby was trotting happily through the inn as Jaune jogged to keep up with her.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to just roam around Mistral? Maybe we should just wait here until Qrow comes back!" Jaune called to Ruby. She was now several feet ahead of him as she searched for Ren and Nora's room.

"But that could be days away! We've already waited too long! We've got to get out there and see what's going on!" said Ruby as she skidded to a halt in front of the room she'd been searching for. She rapped her knuckles on the door and waited for it to open. Jaune continued to argue with her as they waited.

"He's expecting us to be here. What if he wants to take us to see Lionheart and can't find us?"

"Qrow is really good at finding people. He'd find us. Trust me."

Before Jaune could respond, the door in front of them opened in a flash of pink and orange.

"RUBY!"

Nora practically strangled Ruby in a hug. "I'm so happy you're feeling better!"

"Th-thanks," Ruby choked out. Nora released her and Ruby took a gulp of much needed oxygen.

"Yeah, just look at her! All better! Hey what are you guys up to? Just hanging out? Maybe we should hang out here for a bit!" rattled Jaune desperately. He marched past Nora and into the room.

It was small and plain, but pleasant. Sunlight peaked through a square window which had two twin beds on either side of it. One was messy; the blankets were tossed aside and the pillow still had an imprint from someone lying on it. The other was perfectly made, and Ren sat on top of it as his team walked into the room.

"Hey Ren!" said Ruby, ignoring Jaune, "We were thinking of going out and exploring a bit. Maybe see if anything strange has been going on."

Jaune was standing behind Ruby shaking his head rapidly. _Say no,_ he thought desperately, but Ren took no notice. "Sure," he said, and any hope Jaune had left deflated. He sighed in defeat.

 _Qrow's gonna kill me._

* * *

 **Ruby was released. Wants to explore Mistral.**

"What are you doing?" asked Ruby.

Jaune hurriedly pressed 'Send' and shoved his scroll back into his pocket. "Sorry. I uh...found a new game and I'm just so close to beating my high score."

Ruby raised an eyebrow at Jaune, but didn't say anything as Team RNJR moved forward. Ruby didn't know much about Mistral, but she could tell they were definitely in a rich area of the kingdom. The streets were perfectly clean and maintained, every building looked as if it had been erected within the last five years, storefronts were bright and colorful, and the people weaving around them wore clothing that made Ruby realize what Weiss' closet must look like.

" _You can do this."_

Ruby frowned as she remembered Weiss' last words to her. When this was all over, if it ever ended, she would go to Atlas and get her friend back.

 _Maybe Yang would help!_

Ruby sighed as she remembered that Yang...wasn't really Yang anymore. She didn't even want to come with Ruby to Mistral, what would make her follow her anywhere else?

 _Blake?_

Ruby felt her heart crumbling as everything kept coming back to her. She'd been so lost in all the chaos, so focused on healing that she'd barely had a moment to think about everything that sent her on this journey in the first place.

" _Blake ran!"_

Ruby felt more alone than ever, even though she was currently walking with friends, her new team. It had been so long since she'd seen her closest friends, the ones she'd fought with and bonded with. The team she led and trained with. With each passing day, Ruby began to worry more and more that she may never see them again.

"Hey!"

The unfamiliar voice jolted Ruby out of her dark thoughts and brought her back to Mistral. Looking ahead of her, she saw two men dressed in military gear, their weapons drawn and pointed right at them.

* * *

Weiss looked longingly outside the cargo hold window. She'd been in the ship for hours and hours, and her nervous excitement was building - she could feel it in her stomach. Or perhaps that was hunger, because she hadn't thought to bring any food.

It had been difficult to leave home, to completely sever ties with the life she'd lived for so long. But once the ship had taken off, she was certain she'd done the right thing. There was no doubting the confidence she felt as she thought about where she was headed. She would find Winter and help her fight. She would make a difference.

Weiss smiled with sadness in her eyes as she realized her newfound determination reminded her of Ruby. She couldn't believe how long it had been since she'd seen her friend. She didn't even know if Ruby was okay.

 _She_ must _be,_ thought Weiss, though she continued to look worried as she remembered the last time she saw Ruby...

Weiss watched as Ruby disappeared in a burst of Rose petals and flew toward the glyphs awaiting her on Beacon Tower. Weiss realized, almost too late, that an Ursa was inches from taking a dangerous swipe at her. She dove out of the way just in time and prepared herself for the fight ahead of her, hoping beyond all hope that Ruby would be okay.

All around her, the Grimm were multiplying. With each precise strike, each dust-empowered blow, Weiss took down creature after creature, but with each fallen Grimm, at least three more appeared. Weiss knew the dragon above was drawing more Grimm to the school. They weren't going to stop. She jumped and spun and swiped and stabbed, moving gracefully as ever, but before too long her exhaustion caught up with her.

Weiss took one wrong step, and she knew it. There was no time to correct her mistake, for a Boarbatusk had charged into her. Weiss' aura flickered as she was sent flying. She tried to catch herself, but she wasn't fast enough. She hit the ground painfully, and her aura level was dangerously low.

Hearing the growl of nearby Grimm, Weiss forced herself to try and get up. Feeling pain all over, she managed to pull herself into a kneeling position. The Grimm were all around her. Feeling absolute panic, Weiss reached for her sword - but it was gone. Whipping her head around, Weiss saw that it was lying several feet away from her where the Boarbatusk had attacked her. There was no way she'd get past the creatures to retrieve it.

Realizing what was about to happen, Weiss looked to the top of the tower as if she could say something, anything to Ruby. Before she could think about what she'd even say, she was distracted by a blinding white light. It came from the top of the tower and filled the sky like a thousand bolts of lightning. The Grimm all around Weiss growled and shrieked, and she had to cover her eyes as the light grew even brighter. Within seconds, it was gone.

Slowly uncovering her eyes, Weiss looked around and saw something she'd never seen before. The Grimm were retreating. They almost looked...scared. Weiss looked back up to the tower. There was nothing. No light, no movement of any kind.

"Ruby," Weiss whispered.

Weiss pulled herself back onto her feet and took a heavy step toward her sword. She was dizzy and in pain. She needed to rest, she knew that, but she couldn't. She had to help Ruby. Weiss willed herself to move faster, but it was a mistake. She tripped over her own feet and fell forward. Lying on the ground, she looked ahead of her and saw that her sword was still very far away.

Barely conscious, Weiss struggled to crawl to her sword. She had no idea how much time had passed. The sky was pitch black, she couldn't hear a sound. No growling, no screaming, no fighting, no ships flying overhead. The school had probably already been evacuated. Weiss had no idea if anyone would even be able to find her.

 _Or Ruby,_ thought Weiss, and she did her best to ignore all the pain and exhaustion. She put all her effort into moving, but it just wasn't enough. She wasn't getting anywhere. Weiss cried out in frustration and tears welled up in her eyes, but suddenly, a loud ' _caw!'_ broke the silence around her.

Eyes wide, Weiss looked to her left and saw two feet land right next to her. Weiss gasped in fear as someone placed a hand on her arm.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. You're okay."

She knew that voice. Weiss looked at him as he knelt down to talk to her. There was no mistaking the faint smell of alcohol, the red cloak, the huge blade.

"Qrow," she whispered.

"Yep, it's just me. I'm going to pick you up, okay? I've gotta get you to the ship, they'll take you to Vale-"

"Qrow!" Weiss suddenly shouted.

Qrow blinked. Had she hit her head or something?

"Yeah, I-"

Weiss used every last bit of strength she had to sit up. She did so way too fast, and Beacon was spinning all around her. Qrow's face was hardly in focus, but she could tell his eyes were wide as he watched her panic.

"Ruby! You have to save Ruby, please! I think she's hurt-"

Qrow was standing before she could even finish her sentence. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"The-the tower. The top of the tower," said Weiss, her consciousness fading.

"Oh no," said Qrow, and then he was gone. Within seconds, Qrow was already halfway up the tower, and Weiss knew he'd be at Ruby's side soon. She allowed her eyes to close, and she began to sway. The last thing Weiss remembered was her shoulder hitting the ground as she fell unconscious.


	8. Catching Up

Fear gripped Qrow as he sped up the tower with incredible speed. He cursed himself for not looking for Ruby sooner - he'd assumed she was already headed to Vale with the other students. He had no doubt that Ruby had been fighting the Grimm within Beacon, but at Beacon Tower? The only one who should have been at the tower was-

 _Oz._

As Qrow reached the top of the tower, everything hit him at once. The CCT was obliterated. There was no sign of Ruby or Ozpin. The daunting, enormous Grimm Dragon was standing completely still. Its wings were spanned out behind it as if it was about to take flight. Its mouth was wide open, but not a sound escaped it. It was as if the dragon had been turned to stone.

Qrow stared at the dragon and felt his insides seize. In a wave of pain, sadness, and fury, his worst fear came crashing down on him.

Then he heard someone talking. Despite his sickening revelation, Qrow forced himself to move forward. He held his blade out in front of him and walked carefully through the rubble. He realized the tower couldn't possibly be stable - he had to find Ruby fast.

"Who's there?" Qrow called out.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" It was Mercury's voice.

Qrow spotted him behind a large beam that had once been a part of the tower's elaborate ceiling. He charged toward him, but Mercury kicked at the ground, thrusting tons of rubble from the dilapidated tower at Qrow. He easily deflected the attack with his blade, but it was all the time Mercury needed. They moved fast, but not too fast for Qrow to see Mercury and Emerald working together to bolt off the tower, Cinder's limp form carefully supported between them.

 _Oz definitely didn't do_ that _._

Glaring, Qrow looked around desperately for any sign of Ruby or Ozpin. He stepped over beams, glass, cogs, and wheels. Just as he considered searching through the lower levels of the tower, Qrow spotted a speck of red in a sea of gray rubble. It was Ruby's hood.

"Ruby!" Qrow shouted.

He dove forward and rapidly removed the rubble on top of Ruby. She was lying face down.

"Ruby," Qrow said again, his voice quivering with worry as he carefully turned her over. She made a small noise, but her eyes didn't open. He checked Ruby's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up, lifting Ruby up with him. She flinched and made a small whimpering noise, and Qrow looked at her sadly.

"It's alright. I gotcha, kiddo. I gotcha."

* * *

"And then I searched the rest of the tower. Found your cane, didn't find you."

Qrow took a swig from his flask and looked around. He and Oscar were in a park in the heart of Mistral. It was a beautiful day, so it was quite busy. Children ran around as their parents chased after them, families were having picnics and feeding ducks. Qrow sat in the shade of a large tree, his back leaned against it. Oscar sat across from him and picked at the grass. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, though the occasional chatter and laughter of people around them could still be heard.

"Um...he said...he wants to know about...Pyrrha?" said Oscar quietly. He felt fear and anxiety within him, but he wasn't sure why. He didn't know who Pyrrha was - but at that moment, the moment he thought of her name, her image appeared in his mind.

Qrow bowed his head sadly. "She went after Cinder when you disappeared. Ruby saw...Ruby saw the end. That's what activated her eyes."

Oscar felt a horrible mixture of guilt, sadness, and frustration. As if Ozpin's memories had suddenly opened up like a book, Oscar saw her - Pyrrha. She was accepting the burden of becoming the Fall Maiden. She looked frightened, but determined. Oscar could feel Ozpin's trepidation, the realization that he had no other choice but to ask her to do something unthinkable. And now, Oscar could feel nothing but Ozpin's pain.

Oscar gasped as he took it all in. He was angry at Ozpin, but at the same time he could feel that Ozpin was also angry at himself.

"Oz, it's not your fault."

Oscar rolled his eyes, and Qrow wasn't really sure if that was his response or Ozpin's.

"While the rest of us grasped at straws, you had a plan. You found a solution."

"But it didn't work, and now she's gone," said Oscar.

"Then we keep trying."

Oscar looked away from Qrow's determined gaze and said nothing. He listened to Ozpin's thoughts.

 _She was so young._

 _But she was ready._

 _She understood the risks._

 _I killed her._

 _I made a mistake._

"Oz."

Oscar looked back at Qrow, who looked annoyed.

"I know I can't stop you from feeling guilty, but if we don't make a move soon, there's gonna be a hell of a lot more blood on our hands."

Oscar felt something build inside him. As he looked at Qrow, he recognized the feeling as gratitude.

"He says you're right," said Oscar.

Qrow nodded once. Oscar suddenly saw an image of someone in the back of his mind. He'd never seen her before.

"Ruby," Oscar said out loud.

Qrow sat up straight and narrowed his eyes. "What?" he said flatly.

"He...he wants to know about Ruby. About her eyes?" said Oscar, clearly confused.

Qrow sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "I don't know, Oz. I didn't see it happen and she doesn't remember it, but...she definitely has them."

Oscar could tell Qrow was worried. He obviously cared very much for this girl. Taking in his appearance, Oscar realized she and Qrow looked similar. Maybe they were related.

 _He's hiding something._

Oscar stopped thinking about Ruby and focused on Ozpin's thoughts.

 _What do you mean?_ Oscar asked Ozpin.

There was a pause, then Oscar spoke again, "He wants to know-" but Qrow cut him off.

"Not yet, Oz. Please." Qrow was looking at Oscar with desperation in his eyes. Oscar felt Ozpin's guilt yet again.

"She's not ready, she's only 16. Are we really at that point? We don't have any other options?" Qrow was becoming visibly frustrated. His tone had grown hostile and loud; a few people had glanced over nervously as they walked by.

Oscar could tell that Ozpin was still suspicious about something, but he let it go. A feeling of resignation washed over Oscar along with concern for the man sitting in front of him. When he'd arrived in Mistral, Ozpin had described Qrow as a friend, a comrade. Looking at Qrow as his thoughts intertwined with Ozpin's, Oscar realized these two had been through hell and back together.

 _My only hope is we can get through this without you having to do the same,_ Ozpin's voice echoed in Oscar's mind. He could tell Ozpin's hopes were not very high. He looked at Qrow and prepared to say something he didn't understand, but he knew it was very important.

"He says we need to find Spring."

Qrow didn't say anything. He was looking at his scroll, which had made a noise a moment ago. Oscar jumped as a sudden _pop pop pop_ sound echoed all around them. Qrow looked up and around him looking for the source of the sound.

"Were those gunshots?" asked Oscar, sounding panicked.

"We're close to the outskirts. Could be the kingdom's huntsmen fighting Grimm…" said Qrow, but his voice sounded far away as he looked back at his scroll.

Then, there was a new sound, a different kind of gun. Its shots were louder and further apart.

"Damnit, Ruby!"

Qrow was already running out of the park. Oscar looked after him, perplexed.

 _This is probably something we'll want to see,_ said Ozpin.

"Oh!"

Oscar got up and ran after Qrow as fast as he could.

* * *

Ruby placed a hand on her scythe, which was currently in its compacted form attached to her belt. Jaune looked between Ruby and the two men nervously. Both of them were tall and muscular, their faces were scarred, their expressions were angry. They looked almost identical, though one had short, buzzed hair, and the other had a long ponytail.

"Um...is there a problem?" Jaune asked.

"You kids don't look like you're from around here," said the man with the ponytail. He hadn't lowered his gun, and his expression had not softened.

"Well, we're not," said Ruby, "We're from Vale! We're students at Beacon, and you know it's kind of a mess right now, so we thought why not check out Mistral?"

"Uh-huh," said the man with the buzz cut in disbelief, "We're going to need you to come with us. Hands where I can see them."

Ruby moved to reveal the Crescent Rose, but Jaune grabbed her wrist.

"Ruby, we can't cause trouble. They're just being cautious. I'm sure they'll just make sure we're not up to anything and then let us go."

Ruby looked at Jaune stubbornly, but she knew he was right. Slicing through the Mistral military probably wasn't a good way to introduce herself to the kingdom. She slowly put her hands up, and her friends followed suit - everyone except for Ren, who was wielding his blades.

"Ren-"

"They're not with the military. The emblem is wrong."

Jaune looked at the symbol on the soldiers' uniforms, his heartbeat quickening.

"You're joking, right?" said one of the men, laughing and pointing his gun at Ren.

"The Kingdom of Mistral embeds a small amount of dust into each military uniform. It is placed right at the top of the emblem, causing it to shine in direct light. These men are imposters."

There was a beat of silence, and then the whole street became chaos.

The men began firing at Team RNJR, but they were ready. Their weapons drawn, each of them dove out of the way before retaliating. Ruby began to fire at the men, but they easily dodged the bullets. Ren attacked next. He lunged at the man with the ponytail, but just as Ren swiped his blade where the man's chest should have been, he disappeared. Ren's blade cut through nothing but air.

Ren's shock gave the other imposter an opening to strike. He kicked Ren ferociously and sent him crashing into a building.

"Ruby!" shouted Jaune. Ruby, who had been watching Ren, followed Jaune's gaze and saw just in time that the man Ren had tried to attack had reappeared behind her. His gun suddenly broke into two, and he began firing both weapons at her. Ruby deflected the bullets with her scythe as Nora flew past her. She swung her hammer at the man, and he had to cease firing to dodge her.

The man with the buzzcut ran toward Ruby's back as she fought with his partner, but Ren blocked his way. The man struggled to keep up with Ren's speed, and it was all the more difficult for him when Jaune joined in, his sword at the ready.

Gunshots, clashes, and clangs rang out and echoed off the walls of the buildings around them. Team RNJR was clearly tougher than the men had expected. Dodging attacks, both of the men pulled back for a moment to regroup. RNJR stood together, their weapons drawn, heads held high. They weren't backing down.

Suddenly, Qrow dove down from the top of a building nearby. He landed right in front of Team RNJR, but he was facing their assailants. His amber eyes were narrowed and angry, and he practically growled at the men through gritted teeth. He grasped the hilt of his blade behind his back, and the two men gasped. With a quick glance at one another, the man with the ponytail grabbed his partner's arm, and they both disappeared.

For a moment, Qrow stared at the spot in which the two men had stood. He breathed evenly and sensed the area around him. Deciding they were gone, Qrow rounded on Team RNJR.

"What were you _thinking_?!" shouted Qrow.

Jaune was cowering behind Ruby, but Ren and Nora just looked confused. Ruby, however, looked as angry as Qrow.

"What do you mean? We didn't do anything! They just attacked us!" said Ruby, taking an angry step forward.

"Which is exactly what's going to keep happening if you keep looking for trouble!"

"We were looking for you!"

"I said I'd be back. I told you to wait! Look, I can't always be there to watch out for you-"

"No one asked you to follow me around in the first place! I can look after myself!"

Ruby stomped away, exposing Jaune, who had crouched to hide behind Ruby's small form. Embarrassed, Jaune quickly jumped out of the way as Qrow followed Ruby.

"Ruby, all of Remnant is dangerous right now. You aren't safe anywhere. People are _dying_ -"

Ruby stopped abruptly and turned around to face Qrow again. Her silver eyes were wide in a mixture of shock and anger. Jaune, Ren, and Nora skidded to a collective halt, as they'd been following after Qrow.

"Oh yeah? People are dying?" said Ruby, her voice shaking.

Qrow's eyes softened slightly, and he reached out toward Ruby. "Ruby, I-"

Ruby swiped Qrow's arm away. "You think I don't _know_ that? You think I don't know how fragile life is? I lost my _mother._ I lost Penny! I lost Pyrrha! They're all gone because of the same evil we're all fighting against, but you think I don't know how dangerous it is?"

Tears were streaming down Ruby's face. Her team watched in sadness as she finally allowed the pain to consume her. Always a shining beacon of hope, Ruby hadn't let her losses bring her down for too long. She knew she had a duty to uphold; she had to be a leader no matter what.

"I...I am doing this because it's my job. I can't help people waiting for you at the inn. I know this isn't safe; it never will be. I know I'm not a fully-fledged huntress, but there isn't time for me to train or to find a different school. This is happening now, and so I am going to do this _now_ ," said Ruby fervently through her tears, "If you don't like it, then you go on your missions. I'll go on mine."

With that, Ruby again turned away from Qrow. He watched her walk away in anger, and try as he might, he couldn't think of anything else to say. He looked tired and sad as he watched Ruby disappear into the city.

"Is...everyone...okay?"

Qrow turned around and saw that Oscar had finally caught up. His hands were on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.

 _We'll have to work on your speed,_ said Ozpin. Oscar rolled his eyes and flopped onto the ground in exhaustion.


	9. New Wounds

**Yikes, it has been a while! I apologize for how long it took me to get this chapter posted. First of all, life happened and got me off track. Once I did get back on track, this chapter actually required a wee bit of research regarding a topic I know absolutely nothing about (hopefully I somewhat did it justice). You all deserve a much longer chapter due to how long you waited for this one, but I'll just try to make sure I get another one up within the next couple of days or so. Thanks for your patience!**

* * *

Yang sped through the forest on her motorcycle, her wild blonde hair trailing behind her. It had been a long journey, but she knew she had to be close to her destination. The forest was thinning, the trails were wider and more flat, and she'd noticed an occasional airship flying high overhead.

But what was she going to do when she got there? What if Ruby had already left Mistral? What if Ruby never even made it?

 _Stop it,_ thought Yang. She shook her head as if that would make the pessimistic thoughts go away. Ruby would be fine. She could take care of herself, and she had Team JNPR with her.

 _Most of Team JNPR…_

Yang gritted her teeth as the thought came to her. She still couldn't believe Pyrrha was gone. Everything had happened so fast, everything at Beacon was chaos, and she'd awoken from a traumatizing injury only to find out she'd lost another comrade - Pyrrha, of all people. She was so strong, so intelligent, so talented, and yet…

Yang sped up as she thought of Ruby again. She wove through the forest for a couple hours and finally saw buildings up ahead. She was approaching the outskirts of Mistral. Yang squeezed the bike's handgrips in anticipation, and suddenly felt a horrible, shooting pain in her right hand...a hand she lost several months ago.

Yang gasped in pain and looked down at her top-of-the-line prosthetic in disbelief. What was happening? Panicking, Yang glanced up ahead of her and realized the path ahead was making a sharp left. She was headed straight for a tree. Relying heavily on her left arm, Yang swung her motorcycle to the left as quickly as she could, but it was too sharp of a turn. The bike skidded onto its side and Yang tumbled off it.

Breathing heavily, Yang lied on her back, her eyes wide with shock. After taking a few moments to catch her breath, Yang shakily sat up and looked at her prosthetic arm. Gripping it with her left hand, she removed it from what was left of her limb. She stared at it and realized her whole body was shaking.

 _Calm down, Yang._

Yang closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She opened her eyes again, only to feel her right hand being bent at an odd angle.

 _What. Right. Hand?_

"Augh!"

Yang stood up in panic and rolled her shoulders forward and backward, wrung her limbs in every which way, anything to make this horrid feeling stop. She stood alone in the middle of the empty path, her motorcycle still lying on its side several feet away, forgotten. Yang's heart was beating fast, she was covered in a feverish sweat, and her eyes were wild with panic.

* * *

Ren and Nora went after Ruby, but Qrow turned the other way. It would be unwise to follow her at this point, he knew that. As he turned, he found Jaune standing in his path.

"What?" grunted Qrow as Jaune glared up at him.

"Your master plan probably isn't going to work out very well if you keep this up," said Jaune. Qrow rolled his eyes and continued to walk past Jaune, but the younger huntsman followed him.

"You were supposed to stay with her at the inn," said Qrow as Jaune followed behind him.

"Did you hear anything she just said? Ruby is right! You can't just keep us locked up while-"

Qrow rounded on Jaune in anger, his voice raised, "Who are you to decide what's right? You kids - you don't understand!"

Jaune narrowed his eyes and said, "Why do you keep pretending I wasn't there when you brought Ruby to the hospital?"

Qrow opened his mouth, then closed it again.

* * *

Qrow burst through the hospital doors, Winter and Ruby's team in tow. He held Ruby close to his chest as he rushed to the first staff member he could find. A small team of medical personnel quickly gathered around and collected Ruby.

The lobby was a blur of people, medical equipment, and paperwork as Jaune watched, dazed. He was exhausted, but he willed himself to continue standing. His eyelids heavy, his head pounding, his legs screaming, Jaune forced himself to stay conscious and attempt to register everything that was happening. He slowly turned his head in time to see Ren rushed away as well. Nora attempted to follow, but a nurse stopped her. Slowly turning his head back to Qrow, Jaune saw that Winter was helping a nurse hold him back from running after Ruby.

"Qrow!" Jaune heard Winter shout. Her voice was muddled in Jaune's ears. It was as if he'd heard her from under water.

"Qrow, let them help her! You'll only get in the way!" Winter shouted, but Qrow continued to struggle.

A second nurse rushed toward the scuffle and began to plead with Qrow, "Sir, please! I understand how difficult this is-"

"NO YOU DON'T!" shouted Qrow, lunging forward at the nurse, who squeaked and fell back in fear. Qrow dragged Winter and the first nurse forward a few inches as they struggled to maintain traction while holding him back.

Remembering how to make his legs work, Jaune started to head toward Qrow. He had to help before someone got hurt, but it was rather difficult to walk straight - the room was spinning. He blinked profusely to keep the room in focus, and after doing so Jaune realized that Qrow had begun to cry. The nurse who had fallen looked up at Qrow with sadness in her eyes.

"Sir, we will do everything we can. I promise. She's-"

"She's m-my daughter. P-please-"

At the word 'daughter,' Qrow collapsed onto the ground, followed by the nurse who had been attempting to help Winter. Qrow did not attempt to stand back up. Instead he remained on his hands and knees, looked up at the nurse who had spoken to him as tears still fell from his eyes and said, "Please save her."

Jaune was hit with a wave of dizziness, and the last thing he remembered was Winter. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hung slightly open, and her arms were suspended in front of her as if she were still holding onto Qrow.


	10. Regret & Redemption

Still trying to steady her breathing, Yang managed to look down at what was left of her arm. It didn't look any different. There was no open wound, no bruising, nothing. Yang closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sank to her knees.

 _Maybe I've just been traveling too long,_ she thought.

"Yang?" Yang's eyes shot open when she heard the familiar voice, a voice she hadn't heard in months.

Quickly turning her head toward the sound of running footsteps, Yang saw her. Her clothing was different. She wore a long, white coat over her black cropped top and black pants. Her thigh-high boots were especially noticeable, and her dark hair flowed behind her, completely free of any ribbon. Those "cute kitty ears," as Ruby had once referred to them, were proudly visible on top of Blake's head.

Blake skidded to a halt in front of Yang and dropped down to where she was kneeling. "Yang, are you alright?!" she questioned urgently.

Yang looked into Blake's wide, cat-like eyes. Eyes she had started to think she'd never see again. Eyes she'd never had the chance to say goodbye to. The longer Yang looked into them, the angrier she became. Blake looked away from Yang, sadness quickly overtaking her worried expression.

"Y-Yang, I-"

" _Don't!_ " spat Yang, and she quickly stood up. She walked away from Blake and toward her bike, which was still lying on its side.

Blake followed behind Yang and called tearfully after her. "Yang, I'm sorry! I know that's not enough! I know that there is absolutely nothing I can do to make you h-hate me any less! Your arm...I know it's m-my fault. I-"

"You think this is about my _arm_?" Yang had begun pulling her bike from its side only to practically throw it right back to the ground. She turned to face Blake again, her eyes violently red. Blake looked back at Yang, tears still falling from her eyes, but her mouth hung slightly open in confusion.

"You had _nothing_ to do with this!" shouted Yang as she put her prosthetic back on. "I flew in there with no plan, no technique, absolutely nothing that would have helped me beat that guy. I just wanted to save you." Yang's eyes narrowed, and she wore a look of disgust as she said "you."

"In the middle of all that chaos, everyone was scattered. Everyone but you and me. We were hurt, and we were scared, but we were together. We still had part of our team, or so I thought."

Blake looked down at the ground, her tears falling in the dirt.

"When I opened my eyes, I was on my way to a hospital. I was alone. I asked every single doctor about you. They didn't know who I was talking about. Then Sun came along and told me you'd left. You'd left without a word."

Yang's voice had become quiet, but it was clear she was seething as she glared across the path at Blake, who was still looking at the ground.

"Blake."

Blake looked back up at the sound of her name. Yang was looking at her in pure anger, something Blake had never dreamed she'd have to experience.

"Why did you leave?"

Blake tilted her head forward slightly to show her understanding. She looked directly into Yang's eyes, which were slowly fading back to their original purple, and prepared to speak.

"I-"

 **CRASH!**

Blake was interrupted by a sound that violently shook the ground beneath them. Some trees nearby looked as if they may tip over from the force of it.

"Did something just...fall out of the sky?" wondered Yang, looking to the direction the sound had come from.

"That's certainly what it felt like," said Blake.

Yang sighed and yanked her bike up from the ground. "Come on, we'll talk about this later."

Yang swung her leg over her bike and looked at Blake, who hesitated. Yang rolled her eyes and said, "Do you want to go see what that was or not?"

Blake said nothing, but took a deep breath and hopped onto the bike behind Yang.

* * *

"Why don't you want her to know?" Jaune asked Qrow, looking hurt. He couldn't imagine how Ruby would feel if she discovered her true father had been Qrow all along. Her whole world would be turned upside down.

Qrow looked at Jaune, resigning. He gave himself away back at the hospital. The kid wasn't going to let it go.

"It was the best way to keep Ruby safe," said Qrow quietly. He and Jaune were still standing in the middle of the street. Oscar stood close by listening intently.

"After...After Summer...Once she was gone, my missions didn't slow down. In fact, they increased dramatically. Ozpin needed me everywhere at once. Slowing down or taking a break would have meant sacrificing everything we'd fought for - everything Summer fought for." Qrow paused and took a swig from his flask.

"So...so you had to be gone a lot. You still could've told her the truth. She would have understood!" said Jaune.

Qrow sighed and said, "It wasn't about being gone. I realized that I was dangerous. The more time I spend with Ruby, the more I'm risking her life."

Jaune's face fell when he understood what Qrow was saying. "You found out about your semblance?"

Qrow coughed a lifeless laugh and walked over to the building Ren had been thrown into just minutes ago. He sat on the ground and leaned against the damaged building.

"Nah, I've known about my semblance since I was a kid, but I'd always been sort of a loner. I didn't ever spend a lot of time with friends or family - wasn't high on my list of priorities. I just wanted to be a huntsman."

Qrow rolled his eyes and continued, "Not long after I became a member of Team STRQ, I noticed a change. The feeling I always had right before my semblance activated, the feeling that always came just before I'd gain an unlikely upperhand in a battle...I started to get that feeling when I was with my team. Whether we were in battle, or we were just traveling, or we were going to a stupid school dance, bad things started happening to them. Unlucky things."

Jaune started to feel sick as he realized where the story was going.

"Nothing horrible was happening to them. Tai tripped over his shoelace during a tournament battle. Raven got separated from the rest of the team while we were traveling because of a sudden storm. It was little stuff, but I noticed it. I felt it each time. I started to distance myself from them, but I couldn't ever pull one over on Tai. He knew something was up, so I told him about my semblance. He told the rest of the group and they agreed it was no big deal. They'd be extra careful and keep an eye out for themselves. It would be _fine_."

Qrow's last sentence was dripping in sarcasm, and he scowled at the ground as he spoke.

"Summer is gone because of me." Qrow's voice was filled with loathing. Jaune could practically see the weight Qrow had placed on his own shoulders.

"B-because of your semblance," Jaune said quietly.

"You sound just like Oz," grunted Qrow through gritted teeth. "My semblance is a part of me, and I knew it was there. I _knew_ it was dangerous. I chose to stay with Summer and risk her life every single day because I was selfish. I chose my happiness over her life!"

Qrow's blood was boiling. He needed to be alone. He started to stand up just as a distant crash reached his ears. Jaune and Oscar turned to face the direction the sound came from as the ground vibrated beneath them.

"Was that normal?" asked Oscar. He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked up above the buildings that were surrounding them.

"Probably not," said Jaune, also looking for the source of the sound.

"Smoke!" shouted Qrow from behind them. Jaune and Oscar both spotted the plume of smoke Qrow was referring to, and the three of them bolted toward it as fast as they could.

* * *

Weiss couldn't breathe.

 _Get your bearings._

Weiss thought hard about where she was and what had happened. She focused on the only sense that still seemed to be working properly: her eyesight. She took in her surroundings, which were unfortunately covered in thick smoke. She tried to sit up but realized she'd been pinned down by heavy cargo. _Cargo._

All at once everything came back to Weiss. She was on her way to Mistral. She stowed away in an Atlesian airship. She had just woken up from a dream about her sister, she looked out the window, and the next thing she knew the ship had collided with...something.

The rest of Weiss' senses started to recover from shock, and it was not a pleasant experience. The smoke quickly filling Weiss' lungs combined with the heavy cargo pressing on her chest made it nearly impossible to breathe. Her whole body ached, and she'd definitely hit the back of her head during the crash - she could feel a lump forming.

 _I have to get out of here!_

Weiss managed to pull her arms out from underneath the cargo so she could try and heave it off of her. It was a large, metal container, so it was extremely difficult to get any kind of grip on it. Weiss grunted as she put all of her strength into pushing the container away, but it wouldn't budge. She fell into a coughing fit as breathing had become still more difficult.

Giving up on the cargo, Weiss began to look around anywhere she could reach for something that would help her. She spotted the Myrtenaster, but it was way too far out of her reach. Weiss closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, but the loss of oxygen was making it extremely difficult to concentrate.

 _I'm not always going to be around to save you, Weiss._

Weiss' eyes shot open as her sister's words echoed in her mind for the second time that day. She gathered every bit of energy she could find inside herself and concentrated.

"I...don't...need…saving," she wheezed as a small, but bright glyph appeared beside her.

Sweating profusely, Weiss shut her eyes once more as the Armored Knight's hand began to form from the glyph. Her lungs were screaming for oxygen, her head was absolutely pounding, and she wasn't even certain she'd be able to walk once she was free, but Weiss nonetheless summoned the Knight's arm and watched as it forced the cargo off of her.


	11. Too Late

"There it is!" shouted Nora.

She, Ren, and Ruby quickly approached the Atlesian ship. They weren't far away when they heard the loud crash of the ship. It had leveled several trees when it crashed, and it seemed only minutes away from being completely engulfed in flames.

"The pilot is probably still in there!" said Ruby as she tried to figure out how to approach the ship.

"We'll need to move fast. There's not much time," said Ren.

Ruby's heart began to pound, and her hands felt clammy as she grasped her Crescent Rose. Before anyone could say anything else, Ruby had burst into a cloud of rose petals and raced toward what was left of the cockpit.

"Ruby!" Nora called after her.

Ren took a step forward as if to follow Ruby, then reconsidered. "She'll call us if she needs us. We need to check the rest of the ship," he said.

Nora nodded and the two of them disappeared into the billowing cloud of black smoke, failing to notice the distant sound of Yang's approaching motorcycle.

* * *

Ruby breathlessly grasped at the cockpit door, but it wouldn't budge. Using her scythe, Ruby quickly cut through the door and stepped inside. It was impossible to see anything through all of the smoke, and she could barely breathe. Her heart continued to thud as she searched for the pilot.

"Hello?" she called out, her voice shaking.

* * *

After skidding to a halt in front of the airship wreckage, Yang and Blake quickly hopped off of Yang's motorcycle and took a few steps forward.

"Do you think there are people in there?" asked Blake.

Yang opened her mouth to answer, but she was interrupted. A blade had just quickly sliced through the side of the airship twice to create an "X." Seconds later, the "X" was blasted open by Nora's Magnhild. Yang and Blake ran forward as Nora pranced out of the ship followed closely by Ren, who was supporting Weiss.

"Weiss!" Yang and Blake shouted simultaneously.

Weiss looked up in shock, though she couldn't say much. She was still coughing from all of the smoke. They helped her move further away from the smoke so she could get some fresh air.

"Are you alright?" asked Yang, placing a hand on Weiss' shoulder.

"What happened?" asked Blake.

"Oh, we're good. Just over here, hanging out," mumbled Nora as she watched most of team RWBY reunite.

"Where's Ruby?" asked Ren.

"Ruby?" Weiss, Blake, and Yang had all turned to face Ren at the same time.

"She went to look for the pilot!" shouted Nora, taking hold of her weapon. She took one step forward, but Ren grabbed her wrist. He had just sensed it. He knew he had only milliseconds to act.

"GET DOWN!" shouted Ren. He yanked Nora towards him just as the entire ship exploded. The noise was unbearable, the heat was even worse, but nothing could compare to the sheer force of the explosion that sent the young huntsmen flying.

Ren had managed to put himself between Nora and the explosion, and he held onto her as tightly as he could while they flew through the air. Blake and Yang had both managed to put an arm around either side of Weiss just in time, and the three of them hurdled through the air together for what felt like hours until they painfully hit the ground.

The impact knocked the wind out of all of them, and there was a stunned silence as the five huntsmen struggled to get to their feet. Yang took in the horrid scene around them. Everything was on fire. Not a tree was standing. The airship was nothing but a partial skeleton.

"RUBY!" cried Yang.

* * *

Ruby continued to step through the cockpit. She covered her mouth and nose with a part of her hood and squinted through the smoke.

"Please, just make some kind of noise so I can find you!" called Ruby. She was sweating. Her mouth was dry, she could barely breathe, and she was beginning to feel nauseous. Why wasn't anyone answering?

"WHERE ARE YOU?" shouted Ruby desperately.

Just then, Ruby's foot stepped on something. Ruby looked down and saw that it was someone's arm.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Ruby quickly attached the Crescent Rose to her hip and leaned over to speak to the person. With a closer look, Ruby could tell by the markings on the man's shirt that he was the pilot.

"Excuse me, sir, I'm going to get you out of..." Ruby trailed off. She was speaking to the man and grabbing his arm, but he wasn't responding to her voice or her touch. His face was exceptionally pale, and it did not look like he was breathing.

Ruby began to shake violently as she checked the man's pulse. He felt unusually cold despite the fire all around them as Ruby grasped his wrist. He didn't have a pulse.

"No," Ruby whispered.

Ruby forgot how to breathe as she stook a stumbling step back from the man.

"No no no no no no."

Tears filled her eyes as she began to choke on the smoke-filled air around her. Every breath she took hitched half way through, and she couldn't seem to breathe out at all. She was hyperventilating. The flaming cockpit began to spin around Ruby, and she fell to her hands and knees.

"I was too late," Ruby gasped as she looked tearfully at the pilot.

Her heart was thudding against her chest as she gave up on steadying her breathing.

"I was too late."

Her arms shook uncontrollably as her wide eyes gazed unblinkingly at the pilot.

"I was too late."

Ruby didn't see the pilot anymore. She saw Pyrrha. An arrow through her chest, her face going as pale as the pilot's.

"I was too late."

Ruby's arms buckled underneath her as she began to lose consciousness. She heard a loud " _caw!"_ just before her face hit the floor, and everything went black.

Within seconds, Qrow burst through the open cockpit door. He spotted Ruby immediately and grabbed her. He reached for the pilot at first, but after realizing he was dead, Qrow just focused on Ruby. He launched himself and Ruby out of the ship mere seconds before it exploded.

Qrow held onto Ruby has the blast forced him forward. When he eventually landed on his feet with Ruby in his arms, he could feel her breathing slowing down to a regular pace.

"RUBY!" he heard Yang shout.

 _Yang?_

Looking over his shoulder, Qrow could see Weiss, Blake, and Yang not far off. Yang and Blake began to run toward the remnants of the airship.

"I've got her!" called Qrow.

The teammates turned their heads to where Qrow's voice came from.

"Uncle Qrow!" exclaimed Yang. She ran to Qrow and Ruby while Blake and Weiss went to check on Ren and Nora.

Yang reached her uncle and sister as Qrow gently placed Ruby on the ground. "Ruby?" said Yang, gently touching her sister's arm.

Ruby's eyelids fluttered, then slowly opened. She looked straight up at the sky for a moment, then gasped. She sat bolt upright and began to look around fervently.

"Hey, hey, it's alright! You're fine!" said Qrow, kneeling down to look at Ruby. She was clearly panicked. Her breathing was picking up again.

"N-not...me! The p-pilot!"said Ruby, her voice quivering.

Yang frowned. "Did he-"

"I WAS TOO LATE!" cried Ruby.

"Ruby, it's okay," started Qrow, looking concerned.

"No, it's not! I was too late. I c-couldn't save him. I can n-never...I'm always too...I was too la…" Ruby couldn't finish the sentence. Each time she opened her mouth, nothing would come out. She was starting to get dizzy again.

"You've gotta control your breathing, kid. C'mon. Breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth," said Qrow. He placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder and looked directly into her eyes, trying to understand. He'd never seen Ruby like this before. "Find her some water," Qrow commanded Yang.

Yang nodded and ran off.

"Ruby," said Qrow so quietly it was almost a whisper, "It's okay. We can't save everyone. It's impossible."

"B-but I _could_ have saved him. I just needed to be f-faster. I wasn't...I wasn't fast enough to save her." Tears were streaming down Ruby's face again.

Qrow furrowed his brow. "Her?"

"Pyrrha."

Qrow turned around to see Jaune standing behind them. He walked forward and knelt down in front of Ruby, who was still trying to control her breathing.

"Don't do this to yourself Ruby," said Jaune quietly, "I've been there. I've replayed those moments over and over again in my head. What if I'd stopped her? What if I'd done something different? What if...what if I'd told her how I felt sooner?"

Qrow realized listening to Jaune seemed to be helping Ruby. Her breathing was starting to slow down. Her eyes were wide as she looked up at Jaune, but the tears falling from them had slowed.

"Thoughts like that will drive anyone crazy. You can't do this to yourself. If you do, we'll lose, and everything Pyrrha died for will be for nothing."

Jaune's last sentence seemed to be more for himself than for Ruby. All the same, she seemed to have calmed down. Jaune leaned forward and wrapped Ruby into a long hug. She hugged him back, a couple more tears falling from her eyes.


	12. Reunited

**Hello there! So sorry for the delay on this chapter, the holidays were brutally busy this year. I'm hoping to get on a better writing schedule now that it's January, so you should be seeing more frequent updates! Thanks for hanging in there with me! Please R &R so I know what you're liking and what you're not! **

Ruby looked up to see Yang standing over her, Ren's bottle of water in hand.

"Y-yang, I'm so s-"

Ruby's apology was interrupted as Yang shoved Jaune aside and pulled her little sister into one of her bone-crushing hugs.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Ruby," said Yang.

Ruby smiled breathlessly and returned her sister's hug.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Jaune as he stood and brushed himself off.

"Weiss is a little bruised up, but nothing major. She'll be fine," said Yang.

Qrow stood up straight and took a look at what was left of the ship. He turned to Weiss, who was being helped up by Nora.

"Any idea what you got hit with?" asked Qrow.

Weiss shook her head. "I'm not sure. I remember it being loud...It felt like something just knocked the ship out of the air."

"Hmm." Qrow looked back at the ship suspiciously.

"Should we head back to the inn?" asked Ren.

Qrow didn't answer for a moment as he continued to gaze at the wreckage, his eyes narrowed.

"Actually, Leo got us set up with some larger quarters," said Qrow, finally turning to face everyone, "Just in time, considering our group just got a little bigger."

* * *

It was early evening. Weiss was getting some much needed rest. Ren and Nora had gone for a walk. Qrow had gone on another mysterious errand. Jaune, Ruby, Blake, Yang, and Oscar remained. Each of them were sitting quietly in the living area of their temporary Mistral home.

Oscar was the first to break the silence.

"So um...Ozpin says you're all on a team?" he asked timidly.

"Sort of," said Yang, shooting a glare in Blake's direction.

Oscar caught the look in Yang's eye, though he wasn't sure what it meant.

"Yang-" started Ruby, but Yang cut her off.

"Don't defend her, Ruby!" she shouted.

Ruby flinched and mumbled, "I just don't want to fight."

"You seemed pretty keen on fighting when you ran away from home," snarled Yang.

"Hey!" piped up Jaune before immediately sinking back into the couch after seeing the look on Yang's face.

Ruby's eyes narrowed as she responded, "Not with my _friends._ "

" _Friends_ don't run away from each other!"

Ruby opened her mouth to retort, but Blake interrupted.

"Enough!" she shouted abruptly.

Blake stood up from the couch on which she'd been seated and walked towards Yang. Yang stood up as well and met Blake in the middle of the room. Ruby and Oscar stayed seated, both looking up anxiously at the two huntresses. Jaune was still trying to blend in with the couch.

"Yang, I know what I did was wrong-"

"Oh, _do_ you?"

"STOP!" shouted Blake, catching Yang slightly off guard, "Let me speak."

Yang opened her mouth as if to argue, but she stopped herself. Crossing her arms, she took a step back from Blake and looked at her expectantly.

"I ran because you got hurt...you got hurt trying to save me."

Blake's words hung in the air for a moment as she took a deep breath in order to continue.

"Ever since The White Fang came into my life, I've lived in fear...not for myself, but for the people I care about. Everything I did seemed to cause horrible things to happen, and the only thing that made sense to me was to run, to separate myself from those attachments, to be alone.

"When I arrived at Beacon, I had no desire to make friends. I was there to train, maybe even find some sort of purpose in this life. As you can imagine, I got far more than what I bargained for. I got you, Yang," Blake gestured at her partner and then turned to Ruby, "and you, Ruby, and Weiss. I got so much more than I ever could have deserved. No matter how many walls I put up, you all just broke right through them, and try as I might, I couldn't pretend to be unhappy about it.

"I love you guys. You are all so very important to me, and that's why my greatest, most horrible fear is losing any of you," said Blake, her voice cracking, "and that's why I ran. Yang, when you got hurt, I couldn't forgive myself-"

"Blake, it wasn't your fault! Beacon was falling! _Anyone_ could have-"

"I know," said Blake, interrupting Yang, "I know that now. We're huntresses, and what we do is dangerous. It took me too long to realize it, but I know that I can't run anymore, no matter what happens. I have to spend every possible moment with the people that I care most about, because there is no telling how many more of those moments we have left."

Tears were streaming down Blake's face now. Ruby looked up at her older sister as she waited for a response.

Finally, a small, forgiving smile formed on Yang's face. As she stepped forward to hug Blake, Jaune looked past them and could see Qrow standing at the end of the hall leading to the living room. He only lingered for a moment, just long enough to see Ruby join in on the hug and insist that they all go and wake Weiss. Then, Qrow took a step back and walked away. Jaune stood up to follow Qrow, but the girls didn't pay him any attention. They headed to Weiss' room cheerfully, happy to be Team RWBY once more.

Jaune rushed into the hallway just in time to see Qrow round a corner to his right. Jaune ran and called after him. He rounded the corner quickly, only to find himself colliding with Qrow's back. Jaune tumbled to the floor, but Qrow didn't turn to face him when he spoke.

"What do you want now, kid?" asked Qrow.

"You heard what Blake said, didn't you?" said Jaune, clumsily pulling himself back up.

"So?"

"So, she's right. About spending every possible moment-"

"This is different," grunted Qrow as he took a step forward.

"No, it's not!

"IT IS!" shouted Qrow, rounding on Jaune angrily. Much to his surprise, Jaune did not fall backwards, but stood his ground as Qrow continued, "Yeah, being a huntsman is dangerous work, and we sign up for that. But _no one_ signs up for my semblance!"

"Your team did! You said that they found out!" argued Jaune.

"It doesn't matter-"

It was Jaune's turn to shout, "WHY WON'T YOU JUST LET YOURSELF BE HAPPY?"

Qrow's eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed back to their usual glare. He reached into his pocket for his flask and looked down at it as he spoke, "I was happy."

He took a swig before continuing. "So was Summer. I lost my happiness when she lost her life."

Qrow turned and began walking away from Jaune, but Jaune spoke anyway, "Your brooding, your determination to punish yourself...it doesn't just hurt you-"

"-It hurts Ruby, as well."

Jaune and Qrow both turned quickly to see Oscar. He held himself a little straighter, his eyes were narrower and more focused than usual. Ozpin, for the moment, was in control of Oscar's body.

"I've always told you this, Qrow. It would seem I'm not alone in that line of thought. You mustn't do this to yourself any longer," said Ozpin.

Jaune held up his index finger at Ozpin and said, "You are alone in that line of thought, though."

"Wha-"

"I don't give a damn what Qrow does to himself," said Jaune, his voice shaking as he looked at Qrow once more, "But I care about Ruby. I've made that clear. It's time you did the same."


	13. The Plan

"Guys!"

Jaune, Qrow, and Oscar turned to see Team RWBY running towards them.

"What's going on?" asked Oscar.

"There's a plan - an attack on Haven! It's going to happen sooner than we thought!" Ruby exclaimed.

"How do you know?" asked Jaune and Qrow at the same time.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all turned to look at Blake, who took a deep breath before speaking.

"The White Fang. Adam Taurus took over completely. He's going to bring his army here just as he did at Beacon," said Blake.

Ozpin's memories of Beacon Academy being swarmed by Grimm, people running and screaming, students and fully fledged huntsmen alike fighting to keep Beacon safe flooded Oscar's mind.

"Oh no," whispered Oscar.

"Damn," muttered Qrow, "We're not ready. I haven't been able to reach any of the teams I've worked with before. We're a little understaffed for another attack."

"Actually," said Blake, stepping forward, "I have some good news about that."

* * *

The huntsmen and huntresses worked late into the night planning. They had just a few weeks to coordinate a defense for the attack on Haven, and there was a lot of tension in the air.

"My parents and Sun will lead our team from Menagerie here on the day of the attack," said Blake.

Everyone was seated around a grand dining room table, but dinner had concluded several hours ago. Instead of food, the table was covered in maps, sketches, and random scribbles of notes.

"The day of the attack? That doesn't give us much time to get things figured out with them," said Jaune.

"An army that big sails into Mistral, someone's gonna know about it. We'll lose the element of surprise," responded Qrow, "Day of the attack sounds like the best plan to me."

Jaune rolled his eyes but didn't argue any further.

"What about the rest of the opposition?" asked Oscar.

"What do you mean?" responded Weiss.

"Well…I've seen a lot in Ozpin's memories of the last attack. Grimm, robots, this…woman in a red dr-"

"Cinder," Jaune and Ruby both hissed her name.

"The robots shouldn't be an issue since ol' Ironwood won't be here for another game of Battleship, but Oscar's right about the rest. We have to be ready for more than just the White Fang. There will most likely be several skilled fighters with them," said Qrow. He looked at Jaune and Ruby for a moment as if to be certain they were listening, "and a Maiden."

There was a dejected silence hanging in the air when Qrow finished speaking.

"Qrow."

Everyone turned to Oscar, who was once more emanating Ozpin's stature and voice.

"You know what we have to do," said Ozpin.

"Yeah? What's that?" asked Qrow incredulously.

"We need a Maiden."

Qrow sighed deeply and closed his eyes as he realized what Ozpin was getting at. The others stared as Qrow and Ozpin continued to speak to one another in hushed, agitated tones.

"There's not enough time."

"What do you mean? You know where she is."

"She's not going to cooperate. She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you, but that's besides the point. If she can tell us where the Maiden is-"

"Why would she ever do that?"

"Because defeating Salem is in her best interest as well."

Qrow opened his mouth to continue arguing, but Ruby interrupted.

"Um…what are you guys talking about?"

"Raven," growled Qrow.

"Sh-She knows about the Maidens?" asked Yang.

Qrow chuckled without smiling. "Yeah. She knows all of it, and we're pretty sure she knows where the Spring Maiden is."

"Then we have to get her to tell us where she is!" exclaimed Ruby.

Qrow looked at Ruby sadly and said, "I've tried, kiddo. She's not too keen on sharing any information with me."

"I'll talk to her," said Yang as she stood up, "I've been meaning to pay her a visit anyway."

Qrow look at his niece knowing there was no battle to be fought. Her eyes…they were Raven's eyes. They were filled with anger and determination. Yang would find Raven no matter what Qrow or anyone else said to her. She was as stubborn as her mother.

"Fine," said Qrow, surprising everyone in the room except Ozpin, "but you won't be going alone."

"You just said she won't tell you anything! There's no point in-"

"Not me," said Qrow, cutting Yang off. He looked around at his options for a moment, then Blake stood as well.

"I'll go," she stated. She glanced across the table at Yang as if seeking approval, and Yang cracked a small smile in response.

Qrow nodded at Blake without hesitation, then turned to Jaune. "And you. The three of you will retrieve the location of the Spring Maiden."

"Me?!" exclaimed Jaune.

Qrow ignored him and carried on, "It's a small team, but that's what's best. A larger group would be too easy for the tribe to track."

"What's to stop the whole tribe from murdering us?" asked Jaune. He didn't sound frightened; he sounded annoyed.

"The three of you can handle her bandits. And Raven, she's…something. But she lives by a certain 'code.' She won't hurt Yang or her friends. Not this time," said Qrow.

"This time?" said Ruby quietly.

Qrow looked across the room at Ruby. Her silver eyes were narrowed as she contemplated the plan that was being devised in front of her.

"Raven has a twisted idea of what family truly is, but she does care for Yang. However, if this conversation doesn't go well-"

"Then I'm no longer family," said Yang. Her voice did not waver, her determination had not faltered. "I understand."

Ruby looked up at Yang, her silver eyes wide. She knew Yang would be different after everything that had happened, but she was still caught off guard by just how much her sister had changed. For as long as Ruby could remember, Yang had always been searching for Raven. She wanted answers. She wanted to understand why Raven left her family behind. Ruby knew there was more to it though. She knew there was something else that Yang would never say out loud: She missed having a mother.

"Yang, I don't know if-"

"This isn't up you, Ruby," said Yang firmly.

She didn't yell or sound angry, but her words stung all the same. Ruby looked down at the table and said nothing more.

Qrow cleared his throat and stood up. He gestured to a map in the middle of the table and said, "It won't be a very long trip, but the three of you should move quickly regardless. We'll need you back here with the information on the Spring Maiden as soon as possible."

"And if Raven doesn't give it to us?" asked Jaune.

"Then you'll still need to get back here quickly so we can plan accordingly," said Qrow without hesitation. He looked up at Yang, knowing exactly what she was about to say.

"We'll get it," said Yang.

Qrow nodded once, then looked around the room and said, "I think that's enough for tonight. It's time we all got some rest, especially you three."

The room filled with the sound of chairs scraping hardwood floor as everyone stood from their seats and left the room. Ruby stopped at the door frame and turned to face the last two people in the room, Qrow and Jaune.

"I just wanted to talk to Qrow about this…plan," said Jaune, his tone sounding suspicious.

Ruby looked between the two of them with concern until Qrow sighed and said, "Go on, kiddo. Let us have a minute."

"If I hear any loud noises, I'm coming down here," threatened Ruby. Then, she stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Qrow and Jaune both listened for the sound of Ruby's footsteps distancing themselves from the dining room until they were both sitting in silence.

"So you're trying to keep me away from Ruby so I won't tell her your secret?" asked Jaune, his voice full of hatred.

Qrow scoffed, "Oh, come on! You think I…Kid, I'm not even thinking about any of that right now! The fact that you are makes me wonder if I made the right decision sending you out there."

"Wha-"

"You're a strategist. I need someone there who will have their head on straight!" snapped Qrow.

"Are you trying to say that Yang-"

"Yang has grown. She's learned. But I know she has a weak spot when it comes to her mother, and Raven will not hesitate to take advantage of that. I'm trusting you to help her see reason, and if you can't get through to Yang, you need to be able to do what has to be done."

Qrow was breathing heavily, and Jaune's eyes were wide. This man was always thinking, always plotting. It was no wonder he'd been able to keep his secret for so long.

"You want me to kill your sister?" asked Jaune, his voice horse.

To Jaune's surprise, Qrow laughed loudly.

"You couldn't kill her if you tried, kid. No. Raven will try to get Yang to stay with the tribe. She will try and convince her that she belongs with them. If Yang so much as considers it, you and Blake have got to get her out of there."

Jaune rubbed his tired eyes in frustration. "If there's a chance of things going down that way, why are you sending Yang out there?"

"You and I both know Yang would've gone regardless of what I asked of her. It's better this way. She has a mission, people are depending on her. That will weigh on her no matter what Raven says."

 _Always plotting._

"If things get too dangerous, no matter how much information you do or don't have, you make the call. Get out of there. Understood?"

Jaune nodded. Qrow looked at him for a moment, then turned to leave the room until Jaune's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Why me?" he asked.

Qrow turned to look at Jaune once more.

"Out of everyone who was just sitting at this table, how can it be that you chose me for this?"

Qrow sighed and turned away again. He reached out for the doorknob and said, "You're a leader. I'll admit I didn't see it at first, not like Oz did. But I see it now. You inspire, you get through to people. You find the good in people even when they don't know it's there."

Qrow's voice had become almost a whisper as he held onto the doorknob.

"I can't let Ruby go. I need to keep her close - not to keep a secret, but to keep her safe. Her silver eyes put her in the crosshairs of some very dangerous people, and I can't risk sending her out into the open."

Jaune nodded. He still wasn't in love with the plan, but he certainly didn't have any better ideas.


	14. Preparation

Ruby abruptly awoke at dawn. She hadn't slept well. In fact, she'd tossed and turned so much that night, she wasn't sure she'd slept at all. She swung her legs out of bed and let the balls of her feet touch the cold hardwood floor, but she didn't stand up quite yet. Ruby wasn't ready for this day. She rested her elbows on her knees and placed her face in her hands. She rubbed her sleep deprived eyes and ran her fingers through her tangled hair before deciding she could put it off no longer.

The floorboard creaked slightly as Ruby finally stood. She was aware of every tiny sound that broke the dead silence in the house as her friends and family slept. She crept carefully down the long hallway which led to the stairs. Once she'd made it to the first floor without waking anyone, Ruby allowed herself to breathe a little more freely. She walked into the kitchen and was startled to see Oscar sitting at the island in the center of the room.

Oscar, however, didn't seem startled at all. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

Ruby shook her head and answered, "Not really. You?"

Oscar also shook his head in response. Ruby frowned and walked across the room for a glass. She filled it with water and looked back at Oscar. He looked as exhausted as she felt, though he was fully dressed. She wondered how long he'd been sitting there.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" asked Ruby quietly.

Oscar looked up at Ruby, a hint of desperation in his eyes. He hardly knew where to begin.

"I just don't think I'm ready for this," said Oscar, "I'm a farmhand, not a huntsman!"

"That's what training is for! Oscar, you really have been doing great. You're a natural. Just keep at it!" said Ruby, encouraging as ever.

Oscar shook his head and looked down at the countertop.

"I've seen it," whispered Oscar, his eyes filling with tears.

Ruby took a slow step closer to Oscar and asked, "Seen what?"

Oscar took a shaky breath and didn't look back up as he spoke. "Your school. The Grimm. The…the death."

Ruby felt a horrible pang in her gut as she remembered the fall of Beacon. She was too late to help Pyrrha, and she had to watch her struggle to take her last breaths with an arrow in her chest. She was too late to save Penny, but arrived just in time to see her literally torn to pieces.

Oscar was watching Ruby as several different emotions passed over her face. He could tell she was struggling to keep it together, to stay strong as she always did.

"I can't train for that. I'm not…built for that," said Oscar.

"And you think I am?" retorted Ruby, her eyes angry, her voice shaking, "Do you think any of us were built to have the people we love torn away from us over and over again?"

"Ruby - I didn't mean -"

"Every time I train, every time I go on a dangerous mission, I am thinking about the people I love. Those are the people I need to protect from the same evil that has already taken so much from me!"

Oscar watched Ruby as she walked across the kitchen and looked out the window. She continued speaking with her back turned to him.

"I am doing this to try and make sure no one else has to feel the pain I have. If you want to be a farmhand, then you should do that, but something tells me if you came all the way here, you want to be something else."

Ruby turned to face Oscar again. He furrowed his brow and looked away from her, and Ruby's angered expression softened. She walked closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Oscar, I'm not telling you to not be scared. It's normal to be afraid of this stuff. I'm terrified! I just know that I can't let that fear slow me down. If I do, the bad guys will win every time."

Oscar looked up into Ruby's silver eyes as she looked down at him with kindness and concern. He cracked a small smile, and Ruby smiled back. Then, the distant sound of footsteps reached the room and Ruby walked to the doorway to see who it was.

"Hey, sis," Oscar heard Yang say just before she walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Yang," said Oscar.

"Morning. Didn't expect so many people to be awake this early," said Yang as she dug through the kitchen cabinets for something to eat.

"Oh, I couldn't sleep, and Ruby-"

"Yang, I don't want to you to do this!" Ruby blurted out.

Yang froze as she was reaching for a cereal bowl. She turned and looked at her little sister curiously, then slowly went back to what she was doing.

"I told you, Ruby," said Yang as she poured her cereal, "This isn't up to you."

"But what if something goes wrong?" asked Ruby desperately.

"You heard Qrow. Mom won't hurt me, not this time."

"I'm not worried about you getting hurt. Not in that way, at least," said Ruby, finally making eye contact with Yang as she pushed her bowl of cereal aside, "I just don't want you to lose her after you've tried so hard to find her."

"What are you talking about?" asked Yang loudly.

"You said yourself last night that if things don't go well, you won't be considered family anymore! You've been searching for her for so long-"

"To find out why she left us!" shouted Yang, "That doesn't mean I want her back in our lives! I would never let her anywhere near us!"

Ruby looked at her older sister sadly, but she didn't argue any further.

* * *

"Where's your sister?" asked Qrow.

He'd come to see Yang, Blake, and Jaune off and was surprised Ruby hadn't done the same.

"She said she was training," said Jaune.

"We said bye earlier," said Yang reassuringly.

Qrow nodded, though he didn't find Yang entirely convincing.

"Alright, this trip shouldn't take longer than a couple days. Move quickly and efficiently. Evade Grimm whenever it's possible; don't jump right into fighting," said Qrow.

Qrow wondered if he was crazy for sending three kids out on a reconnaissance mission.

"You've got your map, right?" asked Qrow.

"Yes, Uncle Qrow. Come on, we'll be fine!" said Yang, rolling her eyes.

Qrow sighed and nodded.

"Better get going then."

Qrow watched the three of them turn to leave. He kept watching until they were no longer visible to his keen eyes.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

Oscar was standing on the balcony overlooking the large living room. He was nervously holding a ceramic vase over the railing.

"Yep!" said Ruby, who was taking her position from the opposite side of the room, "Okay, I'm ready!"

Oscar didn't look any less nervous, but he nodded all the same and let the vase slip from his hands. The vase hurtled toward the hardwood floor, and Oscar cringed as he waited for it to shatter, but it never did. Instead, the vase disappeared in a burst of rose petals. Looking down, Oscar saw Ruby holding the vase.

"That was too easy! I need to start from further away," said Ruby as she looked around the room thoughtfully.

"Ruby, I think we'll run out of house before you manage to get far enough for this to actually be a challenge," said Oscar as he took a step away from the balcony.

"Then I'll start from outside!" said Ruby, and she began to march out of the room.

"Uh…how will you know when I'm letting go of the vase? The vase that's still in your hands, might I add." asked Oscar.

Ruby froze with one foot hanging in the air and said, "Oh. Right." Oscar rolled his eyes.

"What are you guys up to?"

Looking down from the balcony, Oscar saw Qrow enter the room with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, you know. Just working on my vase-tossing technique," said Oscar, his words dripping in sarcasm.

"Vase-tossing?"

Oscar began walking down the steps as he elaborated, "Yeah. She's had me dropping and throwing that thing in a million different directions for hours."

Qrow glanced at Ruby. She was slightly out of breath, her hair was sticking out more than usual, and she had bags under her eyes.

"I think it's time you took a break," said Qrow.

"I don't need a break!" said Ruby. She turned away from Qrow and began to stomp up the stairs with the vase.

Just as Qrow was about to argue, he was interrupted by Nora bursting into the room.

"I am HUUUUUNGRY! What's for lunch?" shouted Nora. She skipped happily into the room with Ren trailing behind her.

"Hey guys! Where have you been?" asked Oscar, who had begun to walk down the steps toward Ruby. She looked up at him with her eyes narrowed.

Nora danced around the room as she rambled, "Well we started off with our morning walk, but then we thought it would be a good idea to get a real workout in since we're supposed to be beating up a bunch of bad guys soon, so then we went-"

"We were training," interrupted Ren calmly.

"Do you two _always_ go out for morning walks?"

Ruby and Oscar both looked up to see Weiss walking out onto the balcony with a book in her hand. She was smiling knowingly down at Ren and Nora.

"Someone said something about lunch, I think?" said Ren, his voice slightly louder than usual.

"Yes, lunch! Right, Ruby?" said Oscar, walking down a few more steps until he was directly in front of Ruby. Her glare did not falter.

"Come on. Eat something and then you can save more vases later. Maybe we can even level up to a fancy statue or something."

Ruby cracked a smile and sighed.

"Fine."


	15. The Trap

Yang and Jaune crept through the forest as Blake followed them from above, leaping from tree to tree. The ruthless sun was finally starting to set as they discussed their plan.

"Their camp is probably surrounded, right? Should we let Blake try and get an overhead look first to see if there are any gaps in security?" asked Jaune quietly.

Yang shook her head and replied, "We're not sneaking in."

When Jaune looked at Yang incredulously, she added, "I'm their leader's daughter. They won't touch us."

Jaune didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded all the same. The three of them moved forward for a while longer until Yang stopped and motioned for Blake to come down. Once the three of them were on the ground together, Yang started to go over the plan.

"Just to be safe, I figure one of us should maintain a good vantage point. Considering I'm our way in and Jaune isn't the most coordinated-"

"I've got it," said Blake with a small smirk.

Jaune crossed his arms and grumbled something the girls couldn't hear.

"Okay, the tribe's camp is right around that bend. Let me do the talking," said Yang, her eyes on Jaune.

"And if we don't get the information we're here for?" asked Jaune.

"We get out. Quickly," said Yang firmly, "Blake will be ready with a distraction which will give us a head start."

Jaune nodded and asked, "What about your mom?"

Yang's eyes narrowed.

"Look, I don't know what Ruby has said to you, b-"

Jaune cut her off and said, "Ruby hasn't said anything. She doesn't have to. It's your mother, plain and simple. Are you prepared to get this done and get out no matter what happens?"

Yang relaxed a bit and responded, "Yes, no matter what happens."

* * *

The others back in Mistral had just finished a long day of training. They sat around the dining room table shoveling food into their mouths and discussing tactics and skills they'd honed that day.

Qrow's scroll made a sound, and after looking at it for a moment he said, "Hey, let's all finish up in the next few minutes. Leo says he's got something for us to see."

* * *

Two bandits stood directly in front of the entrance to the camp as Yang and Jaune approached.

"Hold it right there!" one of them barked. Jaune halted immediately, but Yang carried on. He saw the bandits reach for their weapons, so he lurched forward to catch up to Yang.

"I'm here to see Raven," said Yang calmly.

The bandits were taken aback by Yang's confidence, but they did not lower their weapons.

"What makes you think she wants to see you?" grunted one of the bandits.

"I'm her daughter. You might say we have some catching up to do," said Yang, her voice full of attitude.

The two bandits gasped; one of them even dropped his weapon.

"Uh…give me one sec," said one of the bandits, and he rushed into the camp.

Yang sighed and crossed her arms. She glared at the lone bandit left in front of her as she began tapping her foot impatiently.

* * *

Ruby, Weiss, Oscar, Ren, and Nora all trailed behind Qrow as he led the way across Haven Academy's courtyard. As they passed Haven's CCT Tower, Ruby couldn't help but think of her last moments on Beacon's CCT Tower before it had collapsed. She took a deep breath and looked away. _I will not let this one fall_ , she promised herself.

Lionheart was already waiting for them as they walked through the ornate, double-door entrance. He looked down at them from his vantage point on a grand balcony and said, "Hello. Thank you for coming."

* * *

Jaune could practically feel Yang's patience thinning as he stood next to her waiting for the bandit to return. He had a feeling the bandit waiting in front of them was thinking along the same lines, as he'd begun to slowly back away from Yang.

Just as Jaune thought he may have to break up a fight before they even entered the camp, the bandit finally returned. He was out of breath, and he looked even more nervous than before.

"Can we go in, now?" asked Yang, taking an intimidating step forward.

"Um, well…you can if you want, but…"

"But?"

"She's not here," said the bandit, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"Excuse me?" Yang took another step forward, and both of the bandits shrunk back.

"Where is she?" demanded Jaune.

* * *

"W-why did you all bring your weapons?" asked Lionheart nervously.

"Uh, we're huntsmen, Leo. Are you alright?" Qrow responded.

"Right, right, of course! Sorry, um…" Lionheart fidgeted and looked around the room.

Qrow gripped his blade cautiously. "Leo…what is going on?"

"Oh, birdie!" squeaked Nora.

"Not now, Nora," whispered Ren as he slowly drew his blades.

Qrow however, looked back at Nora and followed her gaze. Anger coursed through his veins as he took a shot at the raven's perch. He knew that was no ordinary bird.

The wooden railing on which the raven stood exploded into splinters, but the raven had taken off just in time. It flew across the room and headed to where Lionheart stood. Just before it touched the ground, the bird transformed into a woman - Raven.

"If you're going to shoot me, shoot me. That was insulting," said Raven after she'd removed her mask.

"What are you doing here?" shouted Qrow.

"I could ask you the same thing," said Raven. She walked down the grand staircase leading up to the balcony and approached her brother, who put his weapon away.

"Where's Yang?" interrupted Ruby. She was wielding the Crescent Rose, and her expression was a mixture of determination and fear.

Raven faltered for a moment as she contemplated Ruby's seemingly out-of-the-blue question.

"How should I know?" she responded.

Only Qrow caught the confusion that lingered in Raven's eyes for only a split second. He closed his eyes in exasperation and grumbled, "They must've crossed paths."

Raven clearly hadn't foreseen their conversation taking this direction. "What are you talking about?" she spat.

"Yang went to-"

Qrow was interrupted by the huge double doors opening behind them. Hazel entered the room and calmly shut the doors behind him. "The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out," he stated. He then glanced around the room and asked, "Where are the others?"

Raven seemed slightly flustered by Hazel's question. She quickly used her blade to cut a portal out of thin air, and Ruby and the others watched in horror as Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, and a member of Raven's tribe entered the room.

"Hello, boys and girls," said Cinder in her condescending drawl.

Qrow was becoming overwhelmed with dread, but it wasn't his semblance this time. He'd walked a bunch of kids right into a trap; he had no one and nothing to blame but himself.

"Raven," he growled, "How long have you been with them?"

"Aw, don't take it personally, little bird. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand…entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat. Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, very long time," cooed Cinder.

Qrow could hardly stand to hear another word. His ears were ringing. His fists were clenched. He looked up at Leo with pure hatred in his eyes.

"It was you…I couldn't find a single huntsman or huntress…because you led her straight to them. You let her _kill_ all of them!"

Cinder rolled her eyes and said, "Raven, would mind shutting up your dear baby brother? We've got work to do."

Raven didn't seem to particularly enjoy being ordered around by Cinder, but she charged ahead at Qrow all the same. Ruby gripped her scythe tightly and took a step forward, but she stopped when she heard Raven's order for her subordinate.

"Vernal! Take out the heiress!"

Vernal stepped forward with confidence toward Weiss. After glancing back at Qrow one more time, Ruby ran toward Weiss. Within seconds, Ruby was sent flailing toward the ground as her ankles were wrapped tightly in chains. She managed to keep hold of Crescent Rose, but it caused her to land painfully onto the ground.

Ruby looked up to see that it was Emerald who had stopped her.

"I used to think you were nice, you know," said Ruby, gripping her scythe angrily.

Emerald laughed cockily and opened her mouth to retort, but she was interrupted by, "HEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAH!"

Nora swung her hammer ferociously at Emerald and sent her flying several feet away. As Nora came out of her swing, Mercury flew into action. He aimed a powerful kick at Nora, but Ren was there. He intercepted the blow with his blades and redirected Mercury's momentum to where Emerald was getting back on her feet. He then stood by Nora's side and faced their irritated opponents.

"We've got these guys, Ruby. Go!" said Nora.

Ruby nodded and quickly removed the loosened chains from around her ankles. She stood up straight and realized she was surrounded by chaos. Oscar had moved up to the balcony to trade blows with Lionheart. Qrow and Raven were merely a blur of black and red as they zipped around the room between clashes. Weiss was bouncing from glyph to glyph as she battled Vernal, who was proving to be a ruthless opponent. Just as Ruby took a step forward to assist her teammate, a familiar drawl caused her to freeze.

"Aw, how is that you got left out of all the fun?"

* * *

"She went to Haven!" exclaimed the bandit who'd gone searching for Raven.

Yang forgot to be intimidating for a moment as she took in that bit of information. "Haven?" she repeated incredulously.

Jaune and Yang looked at each other in pure confusion for a moment before turning back to the bandits.

"Why would she go to Haven?" asked Yang.

"Beats me!" said the bandit.

Yang grasped the front of the bandit's shirt and held him a few inches off the ground. She brought his face close to hers as she spoke to him threateningly.

"You have to know something. Was she meeting someone? Did anyone go with her?" demanded Yang.

The bandit fumbled uselessly with Yang's firm grip on his shirt. He looked around nervously and then sighed.

"Alright, fine! It's not going to matter soon anyway."

Yang dropped the bandit and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Look, I don't know much. All I know is that Raven said when she came back, Haven would be destroyed. She told us to look out for the smoke and pack up camp as soon as we saw it."

Yang's act fell apart as her jaw dropped. Jaune flinched as he heard Blake fall from the tree she'd been hiding in just beside him.

* * *

Weiss was struggling. Vernal was fast and aggressive, and no matter what Weiss tried she could not get the upper hand. She was always on the defensive. She tried summoning multiple times, but Vernal was always too fast. After blocking yet another powerful blow from Vernal, Weiss could feel her aura level falling.

"You haven't really shown me anything special, heiress," taunted Vernal. She'd hardly broken a sweat.

Huffing in frustration, Weiss sent a ray of ice at Vernal, who dove away to dodge it. Taking advantage of that extra second, Weiss created a wall of ice in front of her and focused intently on the Knight she wished to summon. Within seconds, her summoning was interrupted by a powerful lightning ray that sliced right through her ice wall. Vernal burst through the wall and sent her blades flying toward Weiss, who only managed to deflect one of them. The other blade made contact and sent Weiss straight to the ground.

"You know, you should really keep better company," Cinder taunted Ruby. She gestured to Weiss, who was slowly getting back to her feet.

"Oh, so I should hang around a bunch of murderers instead?" said Ruby, preparing to attack.

"Your innocence doesn't make you stronger, dear. Quite the opposite, in fact," said Cinder. She created a sword for herself out of thin air - both its shape and color made the weapon look as if it had been forged from flames alone.

Ruby charged forward and used Crescent Rose for an overhead strike, but Cinder blocked the strike with her sword. Unfazed, Ruby pulled the trigger on her scythe and used the recoil to flip away from Cinder in order to approach from a new angle. She ran toward Cinder again, this time swinging her scythe horizontally. Cinder prepared to block once more, but Ruby pulled the trigger at the last possible moment, once again using the recoil to her advantage. Ruby tapped into her semblance just as her scythe propelled her forward, and she and her scythe spun into tornado of rose petals. Within milliseconds, Ruby appeared behind Cinder and swung. Cinder's aura activated to prevent Ruby's scythe from truly wounding her, but the force of the blow still knocked her off her feet.

Ruby did not pause. She ran toward Cinder again, her scythe raised, but it didn't matter. Cinder was livid.

"ENOUGH!" Cinder shouted, and the room was briefly filled with heat as a flaming force field erupted around her and sent Ruby flying backwards.

Ruby used Crescent Rose to change her trajectory and land safely several feet away from Cinder, who took no notice. Cinder stood up and looked angrily around the room until her eyes fell on Vernal.

"YOU! Kill her already, we will not waste anymore time!" commanded Cinder.

Vernal had just sent Weiss to the ground once more, and she was completely prone as Vernal shrugged at Cinder in submission. She wielded her blades and went in for the kill.

Ruby's heart stopped, and she watched Vernal launch forward. Even though she was moving with incredible speed, everything seemed to move in horrifying slow motion for Ruby. She saw Weiss struggling to even stand, let alone see what was coming behind her. Her insides went ice cold as she briefly saw Pyrrha in Weiss' place as Cinder dealt the final blow…

"NOOOOOOO!"

Everything went white.

* * *

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